Dimensional Theory
by RebelX
Summary: For all the dreams of its inhabitants, planet Earth was never meant to come into contact with magic. When it does, utter chaos erupts...rated for violence and language. Strictly OOT based.
1. Freak Cinematics

Dimensional Theory

by RebelX

Julie leaned on the counter, gazing out the kitchen window as she waited. The microwave hummed gently in the background. Thick gray clouds swarmed in from the east, moving unusually fast from the force of a wind too high to stir the trees. She inhaled deeply, loving the tang of iron that laced the incoming breeze. The world looked better on overcast days. The gray of the sky only made the colors on the ground more vibrant, and roads were beautiful when wet enough to reflect the street lights. Even so, she glanced at the microwave impatiently. She had a game waiting, and couldn't spend forever staring outside.

The house was almost eerily quiet. It was strange not to have her parents bustling around. They had gone camping over in Utah for the weekend, and she had the whole place to herself. Her father had warned her not to burn the house down or have any wild parties, his mouth twitching with barely restrained mirth. He knew that the only party she would be interested in involved a console and a multi player FPS. The microwave beeped shrilly, tearing her attention away from the atmosphere. The pungent smell of melted cheesy goodness wafted out of the appliance as she opened the door. Nachos in hand, she hurried back to the living room and fell onto the couch with enough force to bounce.

"Okay Link, let's finish handing Ganon his ass again," she said to the monitor. Talking to the characters in her video games (or more accurately, cursing at them) was a bad habit of hers. The moment the item screen collapsed, Ganon almost sent Link crashing to the floor below with a ground pound. Julie made an incoherent noise that could best be interpreted as verbal key smashing and quickly piloted Link over to one of the four stable corners. Nothing seemed off at first as she played a few rousing games of energy tennis with the King of Evil while munching nachos. Then she noticed, after Link went down screaming as purple electricity snaked around him, that Link was not obeying her commands anymore. "Oh c'mon, what the hell? I so shouldn't have missed that one...wait, since when does he get knocked down with every hit?" She asked rhetorically as she experimentally jiggled the control stick. Link didn't listen to the controller. She mashed buttons randomly, but he wouldn't move. He remained panting on the ground, twitching occasionally. "Oh shit, don't tell me this thing is bugged." A swift smack to the N64 changed nothing.

And then, Link got up. It was not the usual animation. First he shook his head, then he slowly climbed to his feet using the stained glass wall for support. His expression actually looked pained, well as pained as polygons could look. Julie could do nothing but stare.

"Had enough?" Ganondorf asked, and Julie nearly dropped the controller. He had just _spoken_. Not with a text box, but with a voice over. His voice had a subtle, strange accent and a coarse bass tone.

"_No,_" Link replied, and then Julie _did _drop the controller. It landed painfully on her bare feet, but she hardly noticed.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Really, kid. This is sad. It's almost painful just watching your pathetic attempts to defeat me. I'll admit you've gained some slight skill, but you really don't have a hope of winning. Why don't you save the both of us a lot of trouble and give up now? I promise I'll kill you quickly."

"This must be some kind of secret hidden cinematic. I wonder how I activated it?" Suddenly she grinned, "Wait until I post on the boards about this. They're going to freak out so bad!"

On screen, Link said nothing, only glared and readied his sword. Ganondorf snorted and raised his arms. Black energy gathered above his palms, and the whole boss room darkened as the growing sphere devoured all light. Link too a step back, his eyes widening.

"Spin attack, idiot! Charge your spin attack!"

Link didn't listen. Consequently, when Ganondorf released his attack of multiple green energy blasts, Link only managed to hit a pair of the attacks back while the rest snaked sideways and collided with him. Julie winced at the sound of his pained scream, so much more real and visceral than the sound bite which usually played. The two energy shots which Link had managed to hit struck the central platform and fizzled out. Ganondorf glided to the ground, his boots clicking softly on the stone tile. He leapt over to join Link on the corner platform and grabbed the boy by the collar, hefting him up off the ground.

"Poor fool. I pity you, really. You're just a child, forced to play the role of hero by a lot of malcontents who believe the lie of some ancient 'prophesy.' I'll bet you don't even realize what a puppet you are."

"It's not a lie," Link gasped, his hands scrabbling over the dark one holding him. "the prophesy is real. I-I will save this land from you..."

Ganon laughed mirthlessly. "You're delusional, kid. All of you are! That prophesy of yours is just a story, something made up to give people hope when there doesn't seem to be any. It was never intended to be real."

"You're wrong, Ganondorf!" A new voice, female, yelled from someone off screen. It could be no one but Zelda. The organ and the princess had both reappeared in the room, and the princess was scowling with determination. "You're the delusional one. You've watched this boy defeat so many of your minions and free the temples form your darkness. Do you really think he could have come so far if he wasn't empowered by destiny?"

Ganondorf frowned over his shoulder at her, and oddly, Link frowned as well.

"Destiny has nothing to do with it. He was only able to come this far on account of the triforce. Don't forget, I _allowed_ him to run around in hopes of luring you out of hiding." He paused to smile, "And it worked out perfectly."

Zelda shook her head. "You admitted once that you had underestimated him, and yet still you do it. I fear you will not realize your mistake until you are dead."

As she spoke, Link took advantage of the distraction to pull a light arrow out of his quiver. Unable to use the bow in his position, he stabbed the arrow into Ganondorf's neck with his bare hands. Ganondorf roared in pain, dropping Link and stumbling backwards. He clutched the offending arrow, wincing as its light snaked around him.

"You'll pay for that, brat!" He wrenched the arrow from his neck and threw it aside. The light shook his limbs, winding around his torso like golden snakes. Unable to use his dark magic with the light binding him, he instead drew an enormous broadsword from under his cape and attacked. Link was ready for him. They dueled fiercely, an even match. Ganondorf had greater strength and experience, but he was slow, and Link was just quick enough to even the odds. Ganondorf was also weakened by the light, giving Link just that much more of an edge. But inevitably, the light arrow wore off, and Ganondorf was able to catch Link off guard with a magic attack. Zelda and Julie both gasped as Link fell back into the organ. There was no pause for gloating or a cackling monologue, no insults directed at Link's skill or foolishness. Ganondorf struck immediately, lunging forward with his sword raised for the finishing blow.

Julie couldn't watch. She slapped her hands over her eyes, a strangled chirp of anxiety escaping her throat. A roar of pain came from the TV, but it wasn't Link's. Julie peeked through her fingers. On the screen, Ganondorf stood absolutely still, the master sword embedded in his stomach. His own broadsword had lodged between the organ keys at the spot where Link's head had been moments ago. He choked, blood spurting from his lips. Link remained crouched, panting, staring at his own sword like he could not believe he had done it. His eyes met the Evil King's, both equally shocked that it had come to such an abrupt end.

"I warned you..." Zelda said from above, her voice soft.

Link wrenched his sword from Ganondorf's gut, and the Gerudo fell to his knees as if that sword had been the one thing holding him upright.

"I…the great evil king Ganondorf…beaten by this kid…" he gagged, spitting up more blood. "L-Link?!"

The triforce of power glowed, and he stared at the back of his hand in shock. He cried out in pain and clutched it to his chest as a bluish white glow snaked over his body. With a final scream, he stood stretched out spread eagle, and the screen was enveloped in white light. The scene fizzled out, and the screen went black.

It took several moments for Julie to realize the game wasn't going to come back. "Uh! Oh, come on!" She fell to her knees in front of the entertainment center and gave the system a hardy smack. The N64 weathered her physical abuse stubbornly, refusing still to operate. She gave it a few minutes to redeem itself, glaring at the monitor, and then regretfully hit the reset button. Nothing happened. She more directly turned the power off and on, but the screen remained mockingly black. She tried every trick she knew, from blowing the debris out of the bottom of the game cartridge to checking the power chords, but nothing helped. "Oh goddamn it. Don't tell me my system is all messed up now." She sat back on her heels and bit her lip, thinking.

"Maybe it's just the cartridge?" She snatched up one of the other games which was lying stacked next to the television and slid it into the system.

"_Mortal Kombat!_" a voice screamed over the fast-paced title music after she flicked the power back on.

"Right. So it's just my cartridge that's messed up. That still sucks." She turned the system back off and climbed to her feet. "Time to go bug my internet cronies about this."

She was not the only person who had witness the strange new cinematic and experienced technical difficulties afterwards, or so she discovered after logging into her the Zelda Gaming forum and seeing the shitload of new threads on just that topic. There were at least fifteen of them, all with subject titles along the lines of "awesome new cinematic!!!!111" She checked out a few, and found they had all seen the same thing she had, with the difference being that it cut out at different points for different people. Far as she could tell, hers had gone on for the longest. Other people mentioned it cutting out right after Link stabbed Ganondorf with the arrow, or even right after Ganondorf grabbed Link. Julie was thankful that at least she had seen almost the entire scene. No one could get their cartridges to work, either. It was like some kind of pandemic. She added her two cents to one of the threads, describing what she had seen. As an afterthought, she asked what time this had happened to everyone. All the replies she got back stated that it had happened five or so minutes ago, at the exact same time it had happened to her.

_Maybe this is some kind of time-release prank on Nintendo's part? But I don't know enough about coding to tell if that's possible, _ read one of the replies.

A pop-up informed her that she had a new private message in her inbox. She clicked "view message". The PM read like this:

_Hey, Skullkid2000 here._

_I saw your post about the freak cinematic. The same thing happened to me, only mine went a teensy bit farther. After the light faded, it showed the usual thing where Ganon falls to the ground, and then it stopped. But you know what the weird thing is? I wasn't even playing ocarina of time when it happened. I was in the middle of fighting Majora's incarnation! Is that WEIRD or what?_

Julie typed her reply with a wry smile.

_You mean you were playing MY Majora's Mask when it happened? Hmm…it is weird. I wonder why it stops in different places for different people?_

Ten seconds later there came the reply:

_I dunno why it cuts off like that. Hey, why don't you come over so we can talk about this together? And you can have YOUR Majora's Mask back. It doesn't work anymore, unfortunately._

Julie glanced out the window. It was going to get dark soon, but Jon (aka Skullkid2000) didn't live too far away. Besides, she could always catch a ride back with his mom.

She hastily replied:

_Sure, I'll come over. I'll bring my non working copy of OoT with me. Just give me ten minutes, since I'm walking. The folks are still out._

She was about to get up when he responded:

_Be careful. Them llamas get nasty after dark._

She rolled her eyes and laughed. Jon had developed a weird tendency to slip llamas into every conversation after she had shown him the "llama llama duck" song.

After hunting through the house to find her sneakers and stuffing the Ocarina of Time cartridge into the mini-backpack which served as her purse, she pulled on her pine green windbreaker and left. She was five feet away from the door when she remembered to run back and lock it. She had always been a bit absent-minded and forgetful, a trait inherited from her father. Not that locking the door was a terribly high matter of importance, in her neighborhood. Ecklewood was not known for its high crime rate. Her family lived in a nice suburban community, and thankfully one which lacked stuck-up code enforcement to insist on everyone having perfect lawns cut exactly two inches high. A good thing, considering that having a water-guzzling lawn in a desert state was a really idiotic idea. The Winters' own yard had a xeriscape arrangement, with a number of sprawling cacti and succulents which would have looked right at home on Mars. The artfully placed red rock they grew on only served to support the notion. Julie still thought they looked weird, not at all like a real yard, but her parents loved them. "It's low maintenance and makes for a good defensible space," her mother had once said. She was a criminologist, so she couldn't help throwing weird terms like that into conversation. Julie wasn't entirely sure what 'defensible space' meant, but she knew it had something to do with the idea that potential burglars wouldn't find the idea of tiptoeing through a yard of spiny plants very appealing. Some of those cacti were called "horse cripplers" for a reason. She still thought it was kind of mean of her mom to put the plants with the biggest, nastiest spines right under the windows.

Her parents probably wouldn't like that she was outside so late, but they were just paranoid. It was just Ecklewood for god's sake, and Jon was only a short walk away. If there was any trouble, she knew to stick her keys in an attacker's eye (or other exposed fleshy vulnerable area). A friend from Washington had taught her. She also had a cell phone, with the police department on speed dial. "Always have a plan," her world religions teacher had said one tense day when her high school was put under lock down. The whole class had laughed when he'd explained how he would make good use of the sturdy metal podium should a hostile intruder enter his class, but she had also felt safe. She took the advice to heart, even if she didn't have a podium to carry around with her. She would always have a plan.

Her neighborhood looked the quintessential suburban paradise, save for the fact that many of the green lawns had been replaced by yards of rock covered with the misshapen spheres and towers of desert plants. It was a hilly place, with roads and sidewalks that curved and dipped for fun biking. There were a number of walking and hiking trails that bisected the rows of houses, and three small parks lay within easy walking distance of her house. The route she was taking ran parallel to a large ditch which, when as dry as it was now, looked like a miniature forest of tall weeds. She frequently went running along this path when the weather was cooler. A few towering cottonwoods leaned over the broad sidewalk, a long abandoned tire swing hanging from one of the branches.

A young man came jogging from the other direction. She had seen him around the neighborhood once or twice, but had never spoken with him or learned his name. They nodded politely to each other as he passed. He was about her age, with short blond hair and a lean, swimmer's build. She couldn't tell the exact color of his eyes from a distance, but they looked light. He was wearing black sweatpants and a Red Wings jersey. He looked cute, and his smile was kind. Her eyes lingered a little before she continued walking. _Probably taken already, _she decided.

A loud, horrified scream interrupted her thoughts and stopped the jogger in his tracks. It had come from a short ways ahead and around the bend. The sound made her heart rate pick up instinctively, though the rest of her hesitated. _Just some kids playing, right? _The scream sounded again, and there was nothing playful or joking in its pitch, its tone. It was a real scream, the kind you usually only heard from buxom blonds in horror movies.

"What the hell?" the jogger's voice startled her. She hadn't noticed him come up to her side. "Is someone really in trouble?"

"I don't know. It sounds like it." The scream came from farther down the path, in the same direction she needed to go to get to Jon's place. What could make someone scream like that? A car accident? A fire? A masked maniac with a chainsaw? She hesitated, knowing she wouldn't be much help if someone really was being attacked, and hoping the scream would attract someone else more capable of lending aid. The situation reminded her of something her mother once said about group psychology. Whenever someone was in trouble, and only one other person was around, help would be given no problem. But if a whole group of people were present, they would stand around and wait for someone else to do the helping. It was the memory of that conversation which drove her to her decision. So what if she wouldn't be much help? What if everyone stayed safe in their homes, confident that someone else would take care of the problem? What if she was the only one who would bother to help? She fished her cell phone out of her purse and started running.

"No signal? God damn it." Julie's brow furrowed. She had never had trouble getting service in this area before.

"Is your phone working?" The jogger, surprisingly, was following her.

"No, it can't get a signal."

"Mine either."

Always have a plan. Her phone wasn't working, so she couldn't call the police. But she had her keys, and as she ran she threaded them between her fingers in makeshift brass knuckles. Her mind raced faster than her legs as they ran along. _If it's a person attacking, go for the eyes, the stomach, the neck, or the crotch for males. If its a fire, we'll make sure a neighbor has called the fire department. If it's an accident, we'll pull people out of the wreckage and try to stop any bleeding. And make sure the concussed don't move too much. _They curved along the trail, going around bends and over small hills. The screams kept sounding, high and feminine and scared. Then _something_ bellowed, a low and inhuman noise which raised the hairs on the back of Julie's neck.

"What was _that?_!" Jack asked.

"A-an animal?" If someone was getting mauled by an animal, what would she do? _Loud noises scare bears. I have no idea about mountain lions. If it's really a llama, I owe Jon five bucks. If it's a spider or a mouse, I may have to beat someone._

"Link! I'm using my powers to hold the evil king! You use your sword and deliver the final blow!" The voice was the same that had been screaming earlier. Julie slowed to a stop, blinking.

"Wait, that's a line from a Zelda game," the jogger said.

"It...is. What, does someone have their game on so loud that we can hear it clearly from three blocks away?"

Something didn't feel right. It was particularly strange that this should happen right after the weirdness of the new cinematic busting her game cartridge. More than that, something was nagging at the back of her mind, a tiny sliver of doubt irritating her gray matter.

"Wait, Zelda doesn't have voice-overs. It has text boxes," the jogger said.

That was right. Zelda didn't have voice-overs. Or at least, it hadn't until that evening. The new cinematic had had voice-overs. There must have been some connection.

"I'll bet this is all some publicity stunt by Nintendo," she grumbled as she set off again.

"Mayb-- oh holy hell!"

They had just reached the top of a sharp hill, where the path curled in on itself briefly before plunging steeply downward. The deepest part of the empty ditch lay directly adjacent to the path, a lone cottonwood towering over it. An old knotted rope hung from one of the branches, presumably kids had once used it to swing into the ditch when it was full of water. But it wasn't the tree that caught their attention.

Her first thought was "Chrono Trigger." Her second was "Terminator." Suspended in the air above the ditch hung a swirling vortex of blue, white, and black. Electricity crackled all around it, occasionally lancing into the ground.

"Wh…what is that thing?"

"I…I have no idea. I have no frickin' idea."

They stood in silence, watching the light ripple across the surface of the vortex.

"…I don't like it." Startled, Julie turned to her companion. His eyes were narrowed in a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "This stinks. Something bad is happening here."

Julie returned her gaze to the vortex. "…I think so too."

Whether the noises were coming from the thing or not, Julie no longer cared. She just wanted to get away. The whole place felt..._thin. _Stretched. She had the irrational fear that she would fall through the ground any moment, like it were made of paper.

Thunder boomed, so close that it rattled Julie's eardrums with the volume.

"Let's get out of here!" the jogger said. "That was way too close for-"

He got cut off as lightning struck the cottonwood, and Julie screamed, stumbling backwards as she was showered with debris. Her foot slipped, and she tumbled down the incline of the ditch. The jogger leaped forward, trying to stop her fall, but he was too late. She rolled down the incline and fell right into the vortex.

A/N: Some notes on setting: Ecklewood is not a real town, I made it up for the purpose of this fanfiction. Don't bother trying to look it up on mapquest. (Some people do this. I have no idea why, but whatever floats your boat). This story is set in 2000, so the Gamecube isn't around yet and Twilight Princess will not feature at all.

I would like to note that while this began many years ago as a self insertion fic, Julie is no longer me. We've developed in different ways since I first started writing her.

You know what's really depressing? Looking at a horribly written old story, going back to rewrite it, and then realizing you haven't improved nearly as much as you thought you had. Oh, well. At least it doesn't make my eyes bleed anymore.

I may or may not rewrite the rest, boredom and time depending. I don't even know why I redid this chapter, I have other better things to work on. Hnm.


	2. Oops

A/N: Yay! I got a review! Sorry this chapter is even shorter, but again, I wanted to end on a good cliffhanger.

Chapter 2: Oops.

White. There was no other way to describe it. Just…white. Julie floated in the midst of this white nothingness, bobbing up and down as if she were in water. Only she wasn't. It was very strange. A wind blew from behind her, tossing her hair mischievously. She twisted around, trying to find the source of the wind. Her breath caught in her throat. There it was, outlined against the stark white like a banana in a smokehouse: the shimmering blue vortex.

"Maybe…if I go back through that…I can get home!" Thus motivated, she began trying to move toward the vortex. This proved difficult, as the wind blew in from the portal, pushing her away. The closer she got to the vortex, the stronger it got, and the farther from it, the weaker.

"Alright…so this vortex must be sucking air in from the other side. So there must be some kind of vacuum in here. Wait…no, that doesn't make sense. If it was a vacuum, I wouldn't be able to breath. What the hell?" Julie stroked her chin as she floated, deep in thought. Maybe if she snuck up to the vortex from the side, then dove in? She swam through the "air", maneuvering around the wind. She wound up having to come at it from the back, as the wind still whipped around at the sides of the vortex. The backside was odd, because she couldn't even see the vortex at all. Just the white nothingness, and…something that glinted in the distance. But she paid it no mind. She swam forward carefully. How was she supposed to know when she got to it if she couldn't even see it? Suddenly the very air in front of her seemed to wrap around her hand and drag her forward, thrusting her out into the void. When she finally slowed to a stop again, Julie lay- er, hovered panting. What had just happened? She twisted around. The vortex was behind her again.

"Damn. I must have passed right through it and gotten caught by that stupid wind." She untwisted, facing away from the vortex, and crossed her arms. How on earth was she going to get through that thing? Something ahead caught her eye. A thin line of gold not far away, extending both ways as far as she could see. She swam up to it. Close up, it resembled some kind of rope. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched it. A jolt of grinding pain made her jerk her finger back instantly. Wincing, she examined the damage. A burn mark. Odd. She held her hand out right on top of the line. Strange…it didn't feel hot. There wasn't any warmth coming off of it, at least. Wait a minute…she dug around in her purse, which had-miraculously-remained attached to her back, and withdrew a ribbon. She let the end touch the golden rope. It didn't burn, or smolder, or anything, just slipped off to the side. Frowning, she roped the ribbon around the line, then tightened it so that it was forced against it. The ribbon shot forward, taking her with it, until she had the sense to let go. She watched the ribbon trail off into the distance, then swam back over so that she was in line with the vortex. She definitely didn't want to lose track of that, now. Her suspicion had been confirmed. The rope wasn't hot- it was _moving_. Really fast. That's why it burned her finger. She hovered next to it, staring at it. What was it? What was pulling it? Where did the ends go? And _why_ was it being pulled through this impossible void of white? Little did she know she was about to find out what was at one of the ends. Something rammed into her-_hard_. She felt something crunch and break against her at the impact, then she gasped in surprise and pain as the rope sizzled by her midsection, burning the side of her stomach. The impact sent her and whatever had hit her spiraling after the rope, though they eventually slowed and came to a stop where as the rope trailed off into the distance. Julie moaned, clutching her burned side. Son of a b--ch that hurt. There were also little shards of some colored metal sticking into her skin, each outlined by a thin line of red.

"Ohh…owie…" she groaned, rubbing her shoulder. Now that the initial burn had subsided, she was feeling stabbing pains from her shoulder. Was it dislocated? She hoped not, but that thing had rammed into her pretty hard. Speaking of which… She twisted around to get a look at the thing that bumped her. Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew so wide they were in danger of popping out. Floating there, wearing a similar-though less severe- expression of shock and confusion, was Ganondorf Dragmire.

"HO-LY SHIT!" he blinked, almost as if taken aback at her language.

"WHAT THE F&$# IS GOING ON HERE!" She looked him up and down, just to be sure. Yup, it was him. He was wearing the very same clothing she had been painstakingly trying to sketch just that afternoon, although it was much more bedraggled and ripped up in person than it had been in the game.

"Hey! Miss! You in there!" A voice, so distant she almost didn't hear it, drifted across her ears. She gasped and looked around frantically. That was the jogger's voice! She couldn't even see the vortex anymore, but she assumed that was due to the angle. No longer caring who he was, she pushed herself around the confused King of Evil and swam frantically towards where she hoped the vortex was. She hadn't been swimming long when she spotted it, and sighed in relief at the familiar sight.

"Miss! Can you hear me? Miss!"

"I'm here! I can hear you! I'm here!" she shouted back, cupping her hand around her mouth to increase the volume. Still she swam towards the vortex, until she was so close she could feel the wind fighting against her.

"Thank God…Are you okay?"

"Yeah! Just get me out of here!"

"Alright, we've got a winch from this guy's truck tied around my waist. I'm going in to get you. Is it safe?"

"Yeah! There's just this wind coming out from the vortex that's stopping me from going back! Just make sure that winch is tied real tight!"

"Alright, here I go!" A figure appeared in the midst of the vortex, and shot out at her at an alarming rate. Julie froze, afraid of another collision, but luckily he slowed down enough by the time he reached her that they barely bumped against each other.

"Wow. What a ride! Okay, grab onto me now." She only too happily obliged.

"Ok, guys! Reel us in!"

The winch around his waist tightened, then all at once they were thrust back towards the vortex…towards home…towards freedom. Julie smiled. She was getting out of this hell hole. She almost didn't even notice the hand wrapping around her ankle at the last minute…

0000000000000000000000

Meanwhile, in the clouds above Hyrule, the hero and the princess were exchanging their final words…

"Link, please give me the ocarina. As a sage, I can return you to your original time with it."

Wordlessly he withdrew the ocarina of time from his bag, handing it to the sage as he tried to meet her eyes. But she would not look at him. She kept her eyes on the ocarina, cupping his hand in hers as she paused. She didn't want him to go…but this had to be done. She had just closed her eyes and raised the ocarina to her lips when she felt it. Her eyes flew open, her hands shuddering with the feeling…the feeling of her magic shattering. Link peered at her with concern.

"Zelda?"

She stared ahead unseeingly as she slowly lowered the ocarina.

"Zelda, what is it?"

"…something's gone wrong."

A/N: See? Told ya it wouldn't be your standard self-insertion fic. So what do you think so far? Review please! Think of the trees! (...what? It rhymes!)


	3. I Hate Hospitals

Chapter 3: I Hate Hospitals

'Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.'

Julie groggily opened her eyes. A pristine white ceiling sparkled above her as the sounds of muffled footsteps and talking drifted to her ears, punctuated by the occasional beeping which had woken her up. She turned her head and looked around the room. She was in a hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown and hooked up to a heart monitor and everything.

"You're awake!" A familiar voice cried happily from somewhere to her right. She looked over to see the jogger sitting in a chair not too far away. He had changed clothes, and his hair was dry now, but there was no mistaking him. He now wore a pair of blue jeans and a black hoodie with a picture of a red stylized fish on the front. She tried to sit up, and instantly regretted it as blinding pain shot down her shoulder and burned in her side. She lay back with a cry, her hands flying reflexively to the tender area. Holy sh-t that hurt. The jogger's eyes widened as he flew to her side.

"Careful! You were really badly hurt back there. What happened, anyway?"

"You wouldn't…believe me…if I told you…" she panted through her gritted teeth. The jogger smiled a little.

"After what I've seen in the past few days, I'm willing to believe anything. But hey, let me go get the doctor. I'll be right back- so don't go anywhere, ok?" Julie made a face. Like she _could_ go anywhere, in this condition…

"Hey, wait!" she called out suddenly. He stopped at the door and looked back.

"I…I don't even know your name…" she grinned sheepishly.

He smiled in return. "Jack. Jack Ward."

"Julianne Kelsey."

He nodded to her, and exited.

Jack noticed a bit of a commotion in the front entrance as he made his way to the reception desk. There was a mob of people standing in a huddle around a T.V. He was trying to see what they were all looking at when the cool voice of the receptionist startled him.

"Do you need something, sir?"

"Huh? Oh, uh…is Dr. Rivers around?"

"I'll page him. Is there something you need to talk to him about?"

"Tell him the woman from the vortex incident woke up- and her name is Julianne."

She nodded. As she resumed shuffling around through the junk on her desk, Jack returned his attention to the mob at the front. He could just begin to make out the voice of a news reporter as he drew closer.

"…all of these reported sightings have occurred in the last half hour or so, and all around the downtown area. Copter Four is on its way now to the scene of the last reported sighting, and we should have a visual coming in soon."

His brow furrowed as he scooted in closer, trying to glimpse a view of the television screen.

"To recap, several witnesses have phoned the station claiming to have seen what appears to be 'walking skeletons'. The creatures seemed to be armed with some sort of medieval weaponry, and have reportedly attacked anyone who has gotten in their way. We advise our viewers not to attempt to engage the creatures, and to run if you see one. They were last reported heading westbound on Main, just past the Talbot intersection."

Jack's mouth fell open slightly. That was only three blocks from here…and they were heading right towards the hospital!

"Copter four has just made it on to the scene. We go live now to Jenny Carson…"

"…I can hardly believe what I'm seeing here, Ted. There are indeed walking skeletons trudging down Main street, and as you can see here they seemed to be armored and carrying swords and shields. They aren't going into any buildings, and we advise you to _stay inside_…"

One of the people in front of him turned their head to talk to someone they were standing next to, and Jack was able to finally see the T.V. screen. He gasped at what he saw. Walking skeletons indeed, there was no mistaking that armor, those shields, those wickedly curved blades…it seemed impossible, but somehow, someway, there were no less than six stalfos marching down Main street. Slowly he backed away from the group, his mind racing. Did the sudden appearance of the stalfos have anything to do with the mysterious screams they'd heard earlier, quoting lines from the very same game? Were these happenings all connected to Julianne, and her strange injuries? He turned to go back down the hall to her room. He wanted to know what had happened to her in that void. He stopped dead when he heard the scream.

"Oh my God there they are!"

He turned around. There, right outside the glass doors, stood the group of stalfo...but they weren't just passing by. The one out in front turned and looked right into the hospital, to the gasps and yelps of everyone inside. It looked down at something it was holding in its hand, and seemed to nod as it looked back up. Then, to Jack's horror, the stalfos began approaching the building. Panic broke out all around him as nurses, patients, and everyone who had gathered to watch the T.V. began running away from the doors, screaming bloody murder.

"I thought the News guy said they weren't going into any buildings!"

"Oh God they're coming right at us!"

"They're gonna break through the glass!"

These were but some of the shouts Jack managed to make out as he fought his way through the chaos. The last thing he heard as he raced through the doorway with the others was the sound of glass shattering as the Stalfos broke through the door.

00000000000000000000000000

"So as you can see Ms. Kelsey, we've set your dislocated shoulder and treated your burn wound. We also managed to extract these from the skin of your side and lower back…you don't happen to know what they are, do you?"

Julie furrowed her brow as the doctor brought forth a tray littered with shiny, colored pieces of metal. She picked one up and examined it carefully. One edge was carefully rounded, and there seemed to be part of some sort of raised design on the broken edge. She scratched her head thoughtfully.

"You know, it honestly doesn't ring a bell."

"So Ms. Kelsey, we're very curious about how exactly you received these wounds."

Julie eyed him nervously. She'd been afraid of that. "Well…" she began, fishing around for the proper way to explain it. She needn't have bothered.

Both Julie and the doctor looked up in puzzlement as the unmistakable sound of screaming drifted in from the hallway outside. Julie carefully sat up. Her side and shoulder still ached terribly, but it had gotten better.

About that moment, Jack burst into the room. He was white as a sheet and out of breath, and as he stood there panting all he managed to gasp out was "Run. Now."

The doctor protested severely when Jack tried to get Julie out of the bed. Tired of his interference, Jack grasped him by the shoulder and forced him to look out into the hallway. He had the most appropriate timing for a stalfos to be strolling down the corridor a couple meters away, and it looked over and grinned wickedly as it met his eyes. The doctor shot back into the room, slammed the door shut and collapsed against it, sweat trickling down around his wide eyes. Jack continued helping Julie stand. She was out of bed and walking by now, but she stopped as they passed the tray with the metal pieces on it.

"Wait. I have a feeling that these are important." She said as she scooped them into her hospital gown. Jack bit his lip, then grabbed a pillow and ripped the pillowcase off.

"I think this will work better." He smiled, handing it to her. She nodded gratefully and dumped the shards into the pillowcase. Julie seemed to be getting around okay on her own, though she was gritting her teeth and clutching her side occasionally, so Jack left her side and grabbed the doctor by the arm.

"Come on" he said brusquely as he yanked the petrified man away from the door.

000000000000000000000

"We all felt it... our magic shattering somewhere in the void. Now we have to figure out what happened." Impa's cool voice echoed through the chamber of sages, reverberating off the invisible walls. Link looked around at them all, his brow furrowed. They hadn't yet explained to him what was going on, but he gathered that something had gone awry with the sealing process, and Ganondorf had gotten free.

"I'm afraid I have some very bad news." Zelda announced, her eyes distant. All turned to her.

"I was feeling in the void for clues, and I found…" She paused, swallowing nervously. "I found a hole."

Link didn't know what she meant, but the sages all visibly stiffened at her words. Link decided it was important enough to ask about.

"What do you mean, a hole?"

Zelda sighed heavily. "To understand this Link, you must have a grasp of the way of the universe…of how the dimensions lie in the fabric of space and time."

"…dimensions?"

"Other worlds. Alternate realities. There are thousands of them, drifting like bubbles in the void of existence. In order to travel from one dimension to another, you must open a gate- a puncture in the outer skin of both the dimension you are in and your destination dimension. It requires a burst of high intensity magic, which must be guided carefully around all the other dimensions which lie between you and your destination. The greatest risk of opening a portal between two dimensions is always this- that the magic will accidentally graze the skin of another dimension, and open a hole into the void. This is why this sort of magic is usually done slowly and carefully…but we were rushed during the final battle. And as we opened a path to the evil realm we punctured another dimension- and a close neighbor, at that. The dimension we punctured is so close to us, it would not surprise me if it has echoes of our world in it…but I digress. Since we opened a hole in this other dimension, it is safe to assume that while our magic dragged the evil king through the void, something wandered out of that dimension and got in the way. There are no traces of any living beings in the void at this time, so whatever wandered out of the grazed dimension has found its way back in…and Ganondorf followed it."

Link's eyes widened as this last piece of information sank in.

"You mean Ganondorf is probably loose in some alternate dimension?"

The sages nodded.

"…well we have to go after him then, don't we?" It was not a question.

Zelda swallowed. "Link…we're sorry to have to ask this of you, after all we have just put you through-"

Link raised a hand, silencing her.

"It is my destiny to put an end to Ganondorf's darkness. I will not stop until that destiny is fulfilled. I will follow Ganondorf to the ends of the earth, to the very edge of the universe if I have to, but I will not give up until he is safely sealed in the evil realm."

Zelda gazed into his eyes as he finished his speech, her eyes watering. Link tried to smile comfortingly.

"Now, how am I going to get there?"

"We will guide you. But be warned, Link, as Zelda said, this dimension is close enough for echoes of our dimension to reach it. You may not understand what this means, so I will explain it to you. Basically, the denizens of this dimension might know of us. We could exist as a fiction in their world, like a legend or impossible story. There might also be echoes of them in our world. Do not be surprised if they somehow seem familiar to you, or you to them." Impa smiled, "In short, be prepared to be recognized."

Link nodded.

"Now, since there is already an open gate in both our world and theirs, we will simply send a path for you to follow there. Get ready, young hero. Your primary task will be to find Ganondorf, but do not confront him until you have collected the shards of our magic, the broken pieces of the medallions. Most of them should be in the void, but a few may have been carried into the other dimension. Do you understand?"

Link nodded. He knew what he had to do.

00000000000000000000000000

Back in the hospital, on the other hand, Julie, Jack, and Dr. Rivers had absolutely no idea what to do. The good doctor peered carefully around the corner, watching the stalfos meander down corridors and break into various rooms. "What are these things? What do they want?" He whispered.

"They're called Stalfos- and believe it or not, they're actually enemies from a video game. How they could actually exist and why they're here, I have no idea." Jack muttered in reply.

Julie, meanwhile, was still examining the multicolored shards. Something about them were familiar to her. There were seven in all; a yellow, three green, two red, and one blue. The pieces were rather large, and the more she looked at them, the more it seemed that the shards of the same color could fit together. Jack's voice interrupted her musings.

"We need to get out of here."

"Well, I'm open to any suggestions" replied the doctor.

"We're on the first floor, aren't we? Why don't we just go through a window?"

The doctor bit his lip as he glanced back out at the stalfos.

"Alright. The closest window that I remember is in that room across the way there. But we'll have to cross the hallway without those things seeing us."

"I'll go first." Jack offered. He steadied himself, crouching like some champion sprinter about to run the 100 meter. The doctor kept an eye on the stalfos patrolling the halls. First he waited until they were out of hearing distance, and then once all of them were facing the opposite direction, he softly commanded for Jack to go.

Jack went. He zipped across the hall so fast he skidded slightly when he came to the other end. He grasped the door handle and turned it. He closed his eyes, every fiber of being hoping, praying that the hinges would not creak…and swung the door open. It didn't make a sound. Jack slipped into the room and released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Then he gestured to the others. The doctor was far more cautious in his approach. He waited, watching the stalfos carefully, and when they turned away again he quietly tiptoed across the hall and slipped into the room with Jack. Now it was Julie's turn. She gathered up the pillowcase full of metal shards, wrapping it tightly around itself and knotting it so that the pieces wouldn't knock together and make noise. Then she prepared herself, crouching much as Jack had done, narrowing her eyes as she focused on her goal. She was trembling. She breathed in deeply, willing her pounding heart to be still. She could do this. She had to do this. The doctor, who was still watching the stalfos, was gesturing for her to go. She had just gathered enough courage to make a break for it when suddenly the doctor's eyes widened and he frantically signaled for her to stop. She heard the sound of heavy, determined footsteps heading in her direction, accompanied by the lull of grunting voices. Julie peeked around the corner for a better look, and swallowed nervously. Two stalfos were plodding steadily down the hall, and they showed no sign of turning soon. One was slightly taller than your average stalfos, and its armor was more richly decorated. _That must be the leader…_ Julie thought. Quietly she began to back down the hallway. She didn't want to take the chance of being seen, but where could she hide? She groped along the wall behind her, eyeing the intersection warily, expecting them to appear any moment. Jack and the doctor had disappeared, and Julie wondered if they were merely hiding or had gone out through the window without her. Her heart tightened painfully at the thought of being left behind all alone in this stalfos-infested hospital. Her searching hand connected with a doorknob, and she squeezed her eyes closed as she grasped the knob and turned. _Please don't creak, please don't creak, please don't creak…_

'Creeeeeeak'

_Dammit!_ Julie cursed silently at the sound the door made when it opened.

"What was that!" she heard a stalfos snarl.

Panicking, Julie bolted into the room and slammed the door. She could hear the clacking of their booted feet on the tile floor as she collapsed against the door. Her eyes darted around the room. The door did not have a lock, but she spotted a chair in the near left corner which she could use to prop against it. Her hand had hardly closed around the plastic backing of the seat when the door burst open behind her, a stalfos charging through with an angry grunt.

Julie's adrenaline had been pumping ever since she had first heard the screams in the hallway when the stalfos first attacked, and now the old 'fight or flight' instinct was finally kicking in. And since there was no where to run…

'Crack!'

The chair connected squarely with the back of the monster's skull, sending it stumbling to the floor with a roar of surprise. The jolt of the blow knocked the chair from her hands, and Julie stumbled over it in her haste to escape. Fight was done- it was time for flight.

Julie had just clamored into the hallway and was turning to race to the room with the window when a cold skeletal hand closed around her wrist.

The stalfos leader brutally twisted her arm behind her back, making Julie fall to her knees with a strangled cry. That was her _bad_ arm!

"Where are the medallions!" The creature hissed in her ear. _Medallions…?_

"Well!" It barked impatiently.

"I…don't know…what you're…talking…about…" she managed to gasp through her gritted teeth, her eyes squeezed shut from the stabbing pain in her injured shoulder.

The stalfos released her arm and roughly turned her around, gripping her by the front of her dress and shoving something in her face.

"Pieces like this! Have you seen any other metal pieces like this!" it demanded. Julie pushed the remnants of pain and fear from her mind, and tried to focus on the object in his hand. It was a metal shard, with a rounded edge on one side and part of a raised design around the broken edge. Julies eyes widened. It looked just like the things they had extracted from her! Unfortunately, the stalfos noticed her reaction.

"A-ha! You have seen them! Where are they!"

Julie subconsciously gripped the pillowcase tighter. Dread gripped her heart as the monster's glowing red eyes fell upon it. Thinking quickly, Julie turned and threw the pillowcase behind her with all her might screaming "Jack! Catch!"

She had had a dim hope that Jack and the doctor had stayed in the room and not gone out the window, and that at her cry Jack would come running and grab the pillowcase before the stalfos got to it, but she certainly never expected to actually see Jack a mere five feet from her. He had to drop the chair he was holding to catch the pillowcase.

"Julie!" He cried, exasperated. Julie blinked. What on earth had he been planning to do? Ambush the stalfos from the front?

"Get him!" Her captor roared, "He has the medallions!"

Three more stalfos appeared from the adjoining corridor at their leader's call. _Aw crap…_

The first assailant dove at Jack, bellowing a hideous war cry. Jack sidestepped him and managed to awkwardly duck and roll under the swinging blade of the second, but the third caught him square in the jaw with the hilt of its sword. Jack cried out in pain as he flew to the floor. The stalfos stood menacingly over him, its sword raised to strike.

"Hi-yah!" With this cry of effort, Dr. Rivers slammed the chair Jack had dropped into the stalfos' ribs, sending it reeling off to the side. Jack smiled and nodded in thanks as the doctor helped him up. The two turned back to back and prepared to face off against the three skeletal beasts.

A/N: Mweeheehee! Fear my cliffhangers! And more and more action will be coming along in later chapters, so stay tuned. Review, please! (don't make me get out the puppy dog eyes!)


	4. Enter the Hero

Chapter 4: Enter the Hero

Officer Nielson was having a bad day. First he'd accidentally overslept, gotten in to work late and gotten bitched at by his boss (again), then he'd been informed that he hadn't gotten the promotion (_again_), and now he was stuck here guarding this freaky vortex thing that looked like something straight out of the twilight zone. He shifted his feet and grunted, eyeing the phenomena in question warily. He didn't know what it was exactly, but something about that thing gave him the creeps. Well- besides the fact that it defied everything he knew about physics. He'd heard that some kid and fallen into it earlier, and came back out all bruised and burned. They'd already shipped her off to the hospital by the time he arrived, and now the entire area was blocked off to make sure no one else shared the same fate. He shot another glare at the vortex. He really didn't like that thing.

He wished they'd left some more people to watch the area with him, but almost the entire force was busy-something about a gang of medieval skeletons marching down Main Street. Pfft. Yeah right. Walking skeletons…what kind of a sick joke was that? He snorted, casting a glance at his partner, who was dutifully performing the task demanded of him with his usual air of professionalism. Actually, he was sleeping against a tree, but Nielson didn't care. It wasn't like they had anything better to do. The vortex hadn't attracted too much attention, and the small mob that had appeared was already dispersed. The entire place seemed practically deserted…heh, maybe everyone was inside hiding from those "medieval skeletons". Morons.

The sporadic cackling of high voltage electricity broke into his musings, and he whipped around to stare at the vortex. The surface had changed from eclectic blues to violent zigzags of mauve, and the electric bolts skimming its surface had grown more concentrated. Nielson furrowed his brow. Now what, was some little green man going to jump out and demand to be taken to their leader? With a final burst of electricity, a figure did indeed emerge from the depths of the vortex, sailing gracefully through the air and landing in a feline crouch. As it turned out, Nielson was a little off. The man who emerged from the vortex was not green, although his clothes were. He wore a medieval style green tunic with matching cap atop white leggings and a simple swordsman's shirt of the same color. Leather gloves, boots, belt, and scabbard completed the outfit, with what looked to be a genuine sword poking out of the sheath. Nielson gawked in unabashed amazement. This guy looked like a character straight out of the Lord of the Rings movies! Well…accept the ears were longer. The young man straightened, brushing his blonde hair out of his sapphire eyes as he took in his surroundings. He froze when he caught sight of Nielson. The two stood staring at each other, neither saying a word.

To tell the truth, Link had absolutely no idea what to do. Of course, neither did Officer Nielson. At the moment though, he was seriously considering seeking professional help. It couldn't be normal to hallucinate about green-clad elves jumping out of mystic portals. Link meanwhile looked the stranger up and down, drinking in the foreign appearance as he tried to sort things out in his mind. The man had small ears, smaller even then a Gerudo's, and the edges were rounded instead of pointy. Yet in every other aspect he looked like a Hylian. Pale skin, black hair, blue eyes...not to mention the fact that he was male. He was wearing a uniform of some sort, and he had some strange short weapons hanging from his belt. Link shifted around awkwardly. He must look as strange to this stranger as the stranger did to him! He cleared his throat nervously and finally decided to break the silence.

"Um…hi."

"…hi."

Well at least they seemed to speak the same language. Must have something to do with that "echoes" thing Impa was talking about. Thinking about Impa made Link remember what he was here for, and he shook himself inwardly. What was he standing around for? He didn't have a minute to lose!

"Hey, have you by any chance seen a tall Geru- er, a dark-skinned man with red hair and yellow eyes come by here? He should be wearing black armor…"

The stranger numbly shook his head no. Link sighed.

"Well have you seen_anything_ come out of this portal? Anything at all?"

"…w-well…there was this kid…wandered in that vortex thing, came out all beat up…"

Link felt a brief surge of fury. Had Ganondorf hurt the unfortunate person who intercepted his sealing?

"…think they took her to the hospital…"

Link blinked in confusion. "…hospital?" He'd never heard that word before.

"Yeah…Cherry Creek Hospital…just off of Main and Sampson…"

Link blinked again. None of that made any sense to him, though he tried to remember it for later reference.

"Er…what direction?"

The man pointed.

"Thank you." Link tipped his hat to the man, then ran off in the direction he had indicated.

Officer Nielson watched him go, then shook his head. He really ought to lay off the drinking.

000000000000000000000000000000

Jon was worried. Julie had agreed to come over to his house over an hour ago, and she still hadn't shown up. He'd been calling both her home phone and her cell phone over and over, but no one answered. After waiting for thirty minutes, his mom suggested they go out and look for her. This is why Jon and his mother were driving by when Jon spotted Link coming out of the park. He did a double take when he first saw him.

"Is that…?" he began without thinking.

"Did you see Julie?" his mother anxiously inquired, stopping the car to peer in the direction he was staring. She caught sight of Link. "Oh…is that…a friend of yours…?" she said haltingly, staring at the man's strange clothing.

"Uh…" Jon shifted in his seat, trying to get a better look. Yup, this guy was dressed as Link alright. He even had the hat, and…was that a real sword? Jon raised an eyebrow. Why on earth would anyone run around dressed up like Link? There wasn't a convention in town, was there? The strange man caught sight of them and ran up to the car. Jon's mother, who had taken his stutter as a "yes", rolled down her window.

"You need something, hon?" she asked.

"Um…" the way the man was staring strangely at their car, you'd think he'd never seen one before. "I need to get to the uh…oh what'd he call it…Cheerie…Cheery Creak Hospital?"

"The hospital? Well get in the car, I can take you down. It's not a far drive."

The man just sort of stared at her, looking a little lost. Hesitantly he surveyed the vehicle again.

"It's not locked." She told him.

That only seemed to add to his confusion. A sneaking suspicion began to form in the back of Jon's mind, but he pushed it aside. Normally he wouldn't approve of picking up hitchhikers, but if this guy needed to go to the hospital, it must be serious. So he opened the door and scooted over, gesturing for the man to come in. He did so, but in the same hesitant manner. Once he was in he looked back at the open door oddly, then cautiously reached out, gripped the handle, and tried to pull it closed. The first tug was very weak, and didn't budge the door very much. The man blinked in surprise, as if he hadn't expected it to be so heavy. He tried again, this time giving a hearty tug which successfully slammed the door closed. He then proceeded to stare at it for a moment or two, before finally turning to sit in the seat properly.

"Seatbelt." Jon's mother reminded casually.

The man blinked, furrowed his brow, and looked down at his belt. Then he looked at the seat, back at his belt, and back up to Jon's mother. He seemed utterly lost.

"Well fine, don't wear it then. It's your life." She muttered, and began driving towards the hospital. The man's initial reaction when the car started moving was simply priceless. He gripped the edges of his seat, his wide eyes shifting frantically in their sockets. He relaxed a little after the initial jolt, his brow settling back into its furrowed position as he observed the view passing by the windows and looked over the interior of the car. He seemed utterly fascinated. He leaned forward and squinted at some of the buttons on the door. He poked one warily, and jumped when the window opened a fraction of an inch. He stared at the window, then back at the button, then up at the window. Eyes still intent on the glass, he reached out and poked the button again. The window slid down a little more. He cocked his head, utterly fascinated by this simple contraption before him. He reached out again, and this time he held the button down. The window slid all the way down. Smiling slightly, he turned his attention to some of the other buttons on the door. The one he had been pushing was marked with a down arrow. He looked up at the window, then back at the buttons, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Then he tried pushing the button with the up arrow on it. Sure enough, the window slid all the way back up.

"Huh." said the man. Jon's mother looked back at him strangely, but he didn't seem to notice. Jon, meanwhile, had noticed something: the man's ears. Fake ears, he knew, would have some sort of seam where the plastic (or felt or paper or whatever they were made out of) met the skin. But this guy's ears…they were seamless…and they looked so_real_… Without thinking, Jon reached up and touched one. The man jumped, his hand shooting reflexively to his ear. He stared back at Jon like he was insane. But Jon wasn't paying attention to him. He was marveling over the realization that the ear…it didn't feel like plastic or anything. It was a real flesh and blood ear! The suspicion began to grow, but the logical part of Jon's mind would have none of it.

"Dude…did you have surgery or something?" he asked, amazed. The man stared at him, his face a mass of confusion.

"These people sure have funny words!" A squeaky, high-pitched voice came seemingly out of nowhere. The man's eyes went wide and he frantically grasped his hat with a snarl that sounded suspiciously like "Navi!"

Link must have felt their eyes on him, because he looked from Jon's mother to Jon and grinned sheepishly.

They had almost reached the hospital by now, and Jon's mother returned her attention to the just in time to turn right onto Main. She hit the breaks the instant they were around the corner, barely avoiding a collision with a police car blocking the road in front. It was only one of many in the middle of what once had been a police blockade. But something bad had happened here. Fire cackled through the shattered windows of the vehicles, tongues of flame licking the crushed and dented hoods of the overturned cars. The bodies of several police officers dotted the scene, blood pooling beneath their unmoving forms. Jon's mother stared aghast at the grisly scene before her, her body rigid with shock. Jon finally turned his attention away from Link in order to see why they had stopped. His eyes widened and he gripped the back of the front seat as he leaned forward for a better look. "Oh my god…" he murmured.

Link surveyed the carnage grimly, his mouth set in a thin line. Dimly he'd hoped that Ganondorf would lay low and leave the inhabitants of this dimension alone…but he knew the dark lord better than that. He glanced at the other passengers of the car, decided they should be okay without him, and gripped the hilt of his sword as he reached for the door handle. The boy had pulled something when he'd opened the door earlier, and the only pull-able thing that he saw on the door was the sideways black lever. His hand had barely closed around it when it happened.

'Thump.'

Jon's mother nearly jumped out of her skin when something slammed against her window. The first thing that registered was the face; pale as death, its eyes wide with fear and its brow glistening with sweat. Jon's mother calmed slightly when she recognized the police uniform the terrified man was wearing. The calm soon waned however, when she realized the implication of a man in uniform trembling with fearful panic.

"Run!" The man screamed through the window, "Run while you still ca!" A bloodstained green claw closed around his neck, and before he could even scream the dinaflos wrenched him back from the car and flung him through the window of a nearby building. Jon's mother didn't need any further provocation; she jerked the gear into reverse and slammed on the gas as fast as physically possible. Jon jumped when he heard the click of a door opening. He turned just in time to see the mysterious stranger jump out of the car and hit the ground rolling. The dinaflos roared as it saw its prey retreating, and a torrent of flame streamed out of its mouth in pursuit of the fleeing car. Jon's mother screamed, shielding her face with her arms as the vivid red flame seemed to swallow the area in front of them, blocking all view out of the wind shield. The flame had only begun to lick around the sides of the car when it suddenly stopped. Jon, who had not covered his eyes like his mother, stared in awe as he watched the stranger wrench his sword out from the gaps in the armor plating the monster's chest. A glowing blue ball of light flew out from under the man's cap and spiraled around him as he wiped the blood from his blade. Now, finally, even the logical side of Jon's mind had to give in to the painfully obvious.

"It _is _him…" he breathed.

000000000000000000000000000000

"This is bad." Julie moaned, "This is really really really really bad."

"Could be worse." Jack grunted as he whacked another stalfos upside the head with a chair.

"Oh yeah? How!" Julie snapped through clenched teeth as she ducked to avoid the lunge of another Stalfos. Dodging around a bunch of bloodthirsty skeletons probably wasn't a good idea for someone recovering from rope burn and a dislocated shoulder. Fortunately with the combination of adrenaline and painkillers she had pumping through her system, the pain was dulled to a tolerable level.

"Well…" Jack trailed off as he booted an approaching Stalfos in the stomach- although, since the creature had no real stomach, he wound up kicking right through into its spine.

It was about that moment when the power went out, bathing the hallway in darkness.

"…you just had to tempt fate, didn't you?"

Jack scowled, "Well I- aah!"

"Jack? Jack what hap-"

At about that moment the lights flickered on. Either the power had come back, or hospital's backup generator had kicked in. Julie turned and saw immediately the cause of Jack's strangled scream. A stalfos which Dr. Rivers had previously disarmed had snuck up behind him and locked its skeletal arms around him, making him drop the chair. Vainly he struggled against it, but he stopped struggling when another stalfos pressed its sword up against his neck.

"Give us the medallions, or I'll chop his bloody head off!" The stalfos snarled. Julie gulped. She, Jack, and Dr. Rivers had been playing keep away with the bag of metal pieces, and she was currently in possession. She tightened her grip on the pillowcase, looking around at all the stalfos nervously. Everyone had stopped fighting and was staring straight at her.

"Don't do it, Julie! Whatever they want with them, it can't be good!" Jack wheezed. The stalfos had shifted its grip to his throat, and he was struggling to breathe now.

"Shut up!" The stalfos snarled, kneeing him in the square of the back.

"Now now, do not be so rough with the foreigners." A smooth baritone voice drifted from behind her. It was heavily accented, though it was no accent Julie had ever heard before. The stalfos all visibly stiffened at the sound of that voice. Julie looked at them, and at the shocked faces of Jack and the doctor, and suddenly she had a feeling she had a good idea as to who was behind her. She turned slowly, heart squeezing with cold dread. She froze when she caught sight of him, her heart leaping into her throat despite the fact she'd half been expecting to see him.

Ganondorf strode towards her confidently, his trademark half grin twisting his bronzed face. He was much more imposing now than before, when he had been shocked speechless. He seemed taller somehow, and something about the way he held himself just screamed power.

"We just keep running into each other, don't we?" he said with a smile, his deep booming voice sending shivers down her spine. "Although I am glad that, this time, it is not in a literal sense." He chuckled softly, and Julie subconciously rubbed her shoulder.

"Now I want you to listen very carefully to me. I can stop these creatures- you can see already how they fear me. I can make them all go away…but I need the power of the medallions to do it. I can understand if you do not want to trust me, but please…it is the only way to end this." He held his hand out to her, "please…the medallions."

Julie blinked at him uncomprehendingly. What the heck was he going on about? Then it clicked- _He doesn't know we know who he is!_ _He must be trying to trick us into giving him what he wants!_ The instant she realized this, her expression hardened, and she glared at him as she stepped back a pace.

"N-nice try." Julie cleared her throat and concentrated on speaking without stuttering. D-mn the man was intimidating in person. "We know who you are. Those things are _your_ minions, and you'd sooner kill us than help us!"

Ganondorf blinked and drew back in obvious surprise. He raised a questioning eyebrow. "How do you know me?"

Julie swallowed. "Um…this is hard to explain…but you're sort of the main villain of a…a video game."

"Vidayo…game?" His brow furrowed, "my Hylian must be a little rusty, for these words- they do not make sense to me."

"Hylian? You're speaking English!" Jack said.

Ganondorf regarded him for a moment, then shook his head. "English, Hylian, whatever you call it, the point is I have never heard those words before."

Julie rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "It's…really hard to explain…"

Ganondorf waved her away, "Forget I asked. Now, I do not know how well this…'video game' of yours portrayed me, but I suppose I can understand why you would not want to hand over the medallions. So let me assure you, if you give them to me then no harm will come to you or your people." He paused, his eyes darkening. "But, I am afraid, I can not guarantee the same…if you do not give them to me."

Julie was silent a moment, trying desperately to compose herself. If she refused, they were probably all going to die. If she didn't refuse…well, actually they were still probably all going to die, but it was slightly less likely.

"…why the h-ll should we believe you?" she said finally, struggling to keep her voice from squeaking in her fear. "You would just as soon kill or enslave us all, whether we gave you the medallions or not!"

To her surprise, Ganondorf smiled. "So you really do know me," He met her eyes, his expression unreadable. "…interesting."

00000000000000000000

The dinofols screamed hideously as Link's sword sliced through the grizzled flesh of its leg. It fell to its remaining knee, and Link wasted no time in parting its head from its neck. Navi flew to him as he wiped the blood from his blade.

"Link! I think I've found the hos-pit-al! But it doesn't look good- Ganondorf has erected some kind of barrier around it!"

Link looked up, his eyes hard. "Show me."

Down the empty street they ran, dispatching the occasional dinaflos that would appear seemingly from no where and attack them. Link spotted the building easily enough; it was the only one in the row of giant buildings that was shrouded with a rippling purple barrier.

"Why is this one a different color from the barrier Ganondorf used on his tower before?"

"Because this is a different type of barrier. The other one was powered by the captive elements of all six sages. This is a barrier consisting of Ganondorf's magic alone; you can probably break it with the power of the master sword."

Link nodded, and didn't even slow down as he neared the building. Instead, he drew his sword and unleashed a mighty battle cry as he charged the barrier. He swung the blade in a grand arc, shattering the black magic on impact. He skidded to a stop and gazed up in awe at the giant building which was now visible before him. The hospital towered over the other buildings in the area- buildings which, to Link, were already ridiculously huge. Link grimly surveyed the shattered glass doors, the bloodstained floor, and the overturned reception desk. Ganondorf had obviously been here, but why? What was here that was important enough to deserve a barrier of any kind? Link didn't know, but he was bound and determined to find out.

A/N: See? More action! Sorry this chapter took so long, but now that I'm actually writing more material for my other Zelda fic as well as this one, things are getting a little more difficult for me. But don't worry, I just had a big break-through with this story, and my writer's block is pretty much vanished. Er…pretty much. (writer's block creeps up behind the author and leers evilly) Gulp…

Minor Edit: I would like to give the 4th triforce piece a shout-out for helping me correct an error about the power outage (duh, hospitals have emergency generators, why did I not think of this?) However, shout-outs are no longer allowed on ff, so I won't. (shifty eyes)


	5. Link ex machina

Chapter 5: That's Not Good

Julie was afraid. More afraid than she'd ever been in her entire life. And she had good reason to be afraid. Here stood perhaps the most powerful man in all Hyrule, and she had something he wanted. Not to mention there was a pack of bloodthirsty stalfos looming behind them, two of which were holding Jack at sword point. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She recognized now the look in Ganondorf's eye…the look of a cat toying with a mouse. But suddenly the evil gleam faded into a dull confusion. His brow furrowed, his eyes wandering idly in the manner of one who is in deep thought. Eventually his smile returned, the gleam in his eye reappearing.

"Well…" he said, "it seems our old friend has arrived."

He spoke over Julie's shoulder, addressing the stalfos behind her. Julie turned her head to see them exchanging glances with each other; some grinning evilly, some narrowing their eyes, and some even looking fearful.

"It would be rude not to go and greet him."

Ganondorf continued, and at these words the stalfos readied their swords and shields and plodded off down the hallway. The two stalfos restraining Jack looked at each other, then turned inquiringly to their master. He nodded to them, and they dropped Jack unceremoniously to the floor and hurried to join their fellows. Julie watched them go, a single eyebrow raised in inquiry. _What the hell are they doing now?_

The sound of Ganondorf's approaching footsteps broke into her thoughts and induced her to turn back around. He was dreadfully close now, his immense form towering over her as he folded his arms and looked down his nose condescendingly. Julie felt very, very small as she craned her neck to look up at him.

"You've got guts, kid, I will give you that. But it takes more than guts to stop someone like me."

He grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and lifted her into the air until they were almost nose-to-nose. He snatched the pillowcase out of her hands and sneered at her.

"Consider yourself lucky that I owe you a favor, or else you would not be getting off so light."

And with that he simply dropped her, stepped around her, and strode calmly down the hall in the same direction the stalfos had come. Julie took a moment to come to her senses, then turned and shouted after him,

"What do you mean, a favor?"

He stopped at the end of the hallway and grinned over his shoulder at her, but did not answer.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Link skidded to a stop when he first heard it. The sound of a dozen skeletal feet rapping against the cool tile floor echoed through the hall, and Link's eyes narrowed as he realized what was coming.

"Navi?"

The guardian fairy zipped out of his hat obediently.

"Get ready. Here comes the welcoming committee."

Seconds later, the group of stalfos rounded the corner and roared as they caught sight of him, breaking into a run and raising their weapons to strike. Link calmly reached into his item sack and withdrew a small blue crystal. He murmured something under his breath and crushed the crystal in his hand, throwing the powder over his head with a cry of "Amo Nayrae!"

A column of aqua-colored light erupted around him, and a rotating blue shield the shape of the crystal materialized around him. The stalfos in front ran into the shield head on, screamed in pain as they crashed into the magical barrier, and flew backwards a good ten feet, knocking over several of the monsters behind them. Link smirked and snapped his fingers with a mutter of "dispello", and the barrier disappeared.

"Well that's a cute trick. Did Zelda teach you that one, Link?"

Link reflexively sneered as he recognized the sound of Ganondorf's booming voice. He looked up to see the gerudo warlord himself striding confidently through the mob of his disjointed minions. Link swallowed uneasily. He hadn't expected to face the evil king so early. Zelda had told him not to confront Ganondorf until he had all the medallions, but what choice did he have? Suddenly, a voice rang in his head. A delicate, feminine voice which he recognized immediately.

…_Link? Link, can you hear me?_

…_Zelda? Is that you?_

_Yes, Link. We sages have been watching you from the sacred realm, and I am using my psychic powers to communicate with you. Listen to me, Link. You have to recover the medallions before you fight him! The Triforce of power will prevent him from dying no matter how fatal a wound you deliver to him- just as it did when you fought him in the tower. The only way to defeat him is for us sages to seal him in the evil realm, and for that we need-_

_The medallions. I get it. But where are they? _

_I don't know, Link. I can't sense them through the void. If I were there in person, I might be able to, but the other sages won't let me come… _

Link gritted his teeth and glared up at the approaching Ganondorf.

_I'll bet _he_ can sense them…_

"Where are the medallions!" he snapped.

Ganondorf tut-tutted, crossing his arms and shaking his head as he shifted his weight to one leg.

"Oh, the young people these days…no respect, no respect at all."

"Where are the medallions!" Link asked again, louder.

"_He's_ got them!" someone shouted. Link blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. A young woman stood at the end of the corridor, pointing with one tremulous finger towards evil's king. Beside her stood two men, one looking the same age as her, the other looking to be middle-aged. The entire trio looked tired and disheveled, and they wore some of the oddest clothing he had seen yet in this strange world. The girl wore only a slip of green-speckled gray cloth, the older man was wearing some kind of white robe over his shirt and pants, and the younger man wore baggy beige pants with an outrageous number of pockets and some kind of thick baggy shirt with a hood. Ganondorf frowned over his shoulder at them, but said nothing.

_Oh great. That's just great. I need the medallions to beat him, but I need to beat him to get the medallions. Well doesn't this just beat all. _

_Wait, Link. Don't give up hope. There just might be a way…if you can get close enough…Listen, Link. If all the medallion shards come together, the medallions will reform. Once they're back in one piece, their sentience will return. It is a defense mechanism of the medallions to flee when they sense danger, into the bodies of their sages. Since the sages aren't here, they'll probably enter the bodies of people who most resemble their sages, but they won't stray too far from each other._

_So what you're saying is, if I get close enough, the medallions will reform and get away?_

_Yes, Link. You'll have to round them all up again, and I don't know how the medallions will react to being inside humans, but it's our best bet. _

Link nodded, readied his sword and prepared to charge Ganondorf.

_So I've only got to get close to him, right?_

The stalfos had regrouped by now, and they grouped protectively around their master as they saw Link prepare to charge. Ganondorf rolled his eyes and waved them aside.

"I will handle this. I have a score to settle with this kid."

He snapped his fingers and his sword appeared in his hand.

"This time, I'll not be so easy on you."

Link grunted but made no reply. They circled each other, the stalfos backing away to give them room. Ganondorf's trained eyes noticed the nearly imperceptible tensing in Link's leg muscles, and raised his sword to block just as Link charged him. Their blades locked together with a clang, each holding their own and neither giving an inch. But while Link held his sword with both hands, Ganondorf was only using one.

"I told you I would not be easy on you…" Ganon murmured, bringing his other hand around to grip the hilt of his blade, "and I intend to hold to that." And thus he began using the power of both arms to strain against Link's blade. Link began losing ground quickly, and yet he smiled. He had noticed the strange glow coming from the pouch tied to Ganondorf's belt.

"This time," he murmured, "it will not matter."

He had barely finished speaking when the medallion shards burst out of the two contender's item pouches. Ganon was startled by this, and his grip on his sword loosened enough for Link to knock it out of his hands. Link held the master sword to Ganon's throat as the shards spiraled around each other, the pieces coming together to form the six medallions. They hovered there for a moment, shimmering with the colors of their elements, then there was a large flash of light as they zipped off to find their sages.

00000000000000000000

Jack rubbed his eyes. He'd been momentarily blinded by that little light show, but after a few seconds his vision started to return. He heard two thumps and opened his dazzled eyes to see both the stranger and Ganon collapse heavily to the floor. They seemed to have been knocked unconscious. He heard a cry of surprise from behind him, and turned just in time to see Julie collapse. Fortunately he managed to catch her before she hit the floor. She, too, was now unconscious, though he had no idea why. A great deal of surprised grunting and shouting came from the direction of the stalfos as they scrambled around their master, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

_Hurry! You have to get Link out of there, before they kill him!_

A feminine voice suddenly shouted in his head. Jack froze, blinking heavily, and wondered if he was going crazy. First characters from his favorite video game appear out of nowhere, and then he hears voices in his head? But wait…Link? He didn't remember seeing Link anywhere…unless…He craned his neck around to look at the stranger lying on the ground opposite Ganondorf. _Holy crap! It is him!_ All thoughts of insanity passed from his mind as a sense of urgency filled him.

"Hold her!" He absently shoved Julie into Dr. Rivers' arms and ran to aid the unconscious hero. His eyes flitted over the area as he tried to think of a way to get to him. Fortunately, the stalfos were too panicked and confused to remember about Link, and they were busy tending to their master. Jack frowned. He didn't have a chair to beat the stalfos aside with…how would he force his way through that crowd? Surely they'd notice him immediately…And that's when his eyes caught sight of Ganondorf's discarded sword.

00000000000000000000000

Meanwhile, not far away, Alex Silva glanced anxiously at the clock. _Well…time to lock up…I hope I'll be safe walking home. Hopefully those skeleton things that were on the news were just part of an elaborate hoax…_ She shooed the remaining customers, a few old ladies engrossed in a scintillating conversation about bonsai trees, out the door, counted the cash register down, and locked the door to the florist shop behind her. With a sigh she swung her purse over her shoulder and started walking, trying to think of a way home that didn't involve crossing nearby Main street. She had gone less than five feet when something slammed into her back, knocking her viciously to the ground. A flash of green light blocked her vision, and then everything faded to darkness as she lost consciousness.

0000000000000000000000

Naida Delaney sung softly to herself as she snapped open the shampoo bottle, the scent of lavender and flowers wafting lazily up from the bottle. Most people would have gotten out of the shower when the power went out, but she found it quite relaxing, showering in the dark. A little dangerous, perhaps, but…hey, according to netscape, showering with your eyes closed improved brain function somehow. And what was the difference between closing your eyes and shutting off the lights? A circular object smacking her square between the shoulder blades rudely interrupted her thoughts, sending her sprawling into the cool tile wall. Her vision swam as her legs buckled beneath her, then her world was engulfed in a wave of blue light.

0000000000000000000000

Eric Eld peeked carefully around the corner of the building, eyeing the dinofols lurking around the wrecked police cars warily. Today was supposed to be his day off, but when he saw the news report on TV about the skeletons, he decided to go down and investigate. His fists clenched in anger as he watched the lizard men prowling the ruins of the police barricade. A lot of his buddies had died out there. It took a lot of self control for him not to run out and start shooting the damn lizards when he recognized the various bodies lying around on the ground. He lay back against the wall, gritting his teeth as he thought things over. Bullets obviously hadn't helped the other officers fight these monsters, and giving away his position would only get him killed. A sudden, crushing pain in his shoulder made him cry out and fall to the ground. He was unable to notice the dinofols turning in his direction as his vision clouded in a bur of red light.

A/N: Finally, chapter five is out! Phew…yesh…I've had a really full schedule lately. But now that it's spring break, I can get some work done! Yay! And yeah…I don't know if you really can take a shower when the power's out, but I'd already decided to have Naida in the shower when I realized I'd had the power go out in the last chapter. Oh well.

By the way, here's a little history about where all the names in this chapter came from. I like to go to a site called behindthename(dot)com for a lot of my character names. It's really cool. Gives you the history and meaning behind it and everything.

Alex: from greek "alexin" meaning "to defend, help"

Silva: Spanish/Portugese "silva", meaning forest. Behind the name doesn't mention it, but "Silva" means forest in latin, too.

Naida: Ultimately greek, derived from the word "naiad" meaning "water nymph"

Delaney: This one's irish, derived from the word _dubh_ for "dark or black", and the name of the river Slaine (Slaney).

Eric: derived from Norse "ei", meaning "ever", and "rikr", meaning "ruler"

Eld: From the old Norse_eldr_, modern Swedish _eld_, meaning "fire".

And while we're at it…

Amo Nayrae: I'm only a latin one student, but if I translated this correctly it should read "Love of Nayru" in latin.

Dispello: "Dispel"

And they weren't in the chapter, but…

Ignis Dinae: "Fire of Din"

Ventus Farorae: "Wind of Farore"

Also…

Julianne: feminine form of Julian, which is derived from Roman Julius, which apparently came from the greek "iolus" meaning "downy-bearded". o.O Yeah…you can tell I didn't choose this name for its meaning.

Kelsey: apparently derived from "Cenel", meaning "brave". Yeah, I don't see the connection either.

Jack: derived from Jackin, a medieval pet form of John, which ultimately comes from the Hebrew "Yochanan" meaning "Yahweh is gracious". I actually named this character after the skeleton from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I love that movie!

Ward: derived from an old English occupation "Weard", meaning "guard" or "watchmen".


	6. The First Medallion Falls

Notice: This chapter has been revised. You might want to reread it, or some of chapter 7 won't make sense.

Chapter 6: The First Medallion Falls

Ganondorf Dragmire rubbed his head idly as he stared out the window of his makeshift headquarters. Those medallions sure had given him a fair whack in passing. He cursed himself for not realizing what Link had been up to beforehand. Now he'd have to go and track them all down again. No matter…he would simply do what he did last time. He closed his eyes and began chanting, his spirit wandering through the hole into the void and into Hyrule, searching for five certain detached spirits…

000000000000000000000

"You know…I've been wondering…you said all these characters are the same ones that are in that video game?"

"Yeah."

"Well…how on earth is that possible? It seems a little too convenient that everything in this video game should really exist in this alternate dimension"

"Hmm…Zelda says that every dimension constantly produces something called "echoes". These echoes are just like sound waves, vibrating through the space-time continuum and affecting the make-up of other dimensions nearby. Hence the reason people in neighboring dimensions look similar, have some like cultural values, and speak the same language. Also, she says sometimes these echoes will condense into strong manifestations in a person's mind, leading them to create something like a legend or a story…or a video game. But they fade out as they get farther away, and our dimension isn't exactly right next to theirs, so our video game probably isn't completely accurate. Not to mention the people who are subconsciously attune to these echoes and create the video game off of them probably used a little artistic license, and were affected by the limitations of technology. So there must be some differences between our video game and what really happens in their world. Heck, all the stalfos speak our language, even though the game has everyone speaking in ancient Hylian. Or maybe ancient Hylian and English are the same thing, and modern Hylian is different or something? I don't know."

"But the symbols for the written ancient Hylian you showed me are so weird compared to written English! How could they be the same thing?"

"…Zelda says there are two kinds of ancient Hylian, the common and the ceremonial. The ceremonial is written on temples and sacred objects, while common is used in everyday speech and writing. The common version is exactly like our English, while the ceremonial is way different. Most people use common when speaking and writing to each other. Although, when sages and important royal people say and write things, they also tend to use the ceremonial text."

"So it's kind of like ancient Egyptian, then."

"Yeah."

These were the voices Julie heard as she blearily opened her eyes. The light stung her dazzled eyes, making her squint. Bright colored blobs swarmed above her, the voice of Jack and Dr. Rivers drifting to her ears. She blinked, and the blobs grew a little closer, taking the relative shape of two men.

"Hey! She's waking up!"

She blinked again, and the beaming face of Jack swum into view above her.

"You ok, Jules? Uh- it's ok if I call you Jules, right?"

She smiled weakly. "…Sure…"

She tried to get up, but her head reeled as if her brain was doing cartwheels inside it whenever she moved. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pounding headache that was now making itself known.

"Ms. Kelsey?" Dr. Rivers' concerned voice filtered trough the cranial torment as she dimly felt someone grasp her hand. "Are you alright?"

"…I've never had a hangover…but from what I've heard, I'm pretty sure this is what one feels like…" she moaned.

"Do you know what happened? Why you passed out?"

"No…I just remember a flash of purple light…"

"Weird." Said Jack.

Julie bravely opened her eyes again, squinting at the dark cloudy sky above her.

"…wh…where are we…?"

"In an alleyway, just outside the hospital. We managed to slip out undetected…but we have to be careful. There are strange dagger-wielding lizards everywhere."

"Lizafos?"

"Dinofols." Jack corrected her.

"Oh…great…the fire-breathing ones…"

"Yeah…looks like they had a bit of trouble with local law enforcement. There are wrecked police cars everywhere." Jack said. He looked disturbed as he related this information, and Julie wondered if there was something he wasn't telling them.

"You know, I find it odd that all those armed policemen couldn't take down those…uh… dinofloss creatures, while we easily kept the skeletons at bay with nothing but a couple chairs." Said the doctor.

"Stalfos don't breathe fire, and they're much slower. Plus, we only really engaged them in combat once, and just snuck around them most of the time." Jack explained.

"And guns might not do much against those scales…anyway…"

"Ah."

"What happened with…Ganondorf and Link…?"

"Well, they were both knocked unconscious, so we grabbed Link and dragged both of you out here. I don't know what happened to Ganondorf, his men probably took care of him."

"Link? …is he here?"

"Yeah, but he hasn't woken up yet."

"Oh…damn…I was hoping we could finally get some answers…"

"Well his fairy has been explaining things to us, and so has Zelda, who's been speaking to me through telepathy."

"Yeah…I heard some of your conversation…listen, could you ask her about this thing I saw a while ago that was really weird? There was…this…ugh, how do I explain it…look, you know the video game, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, a little before I ran into that vortex, I was playing the game, and suddenly it…changed. This freak cinema sequence started for me and everyone else playing any sort of Zelda game. But, it cut off at different times for different people, and after it cut off, the cartridge for the game stopped working. Can she explain that?"

Jack closed his eyes and sat in silence for a long time, listening to Zelda speak.

"…Zelda says she's not sure what exactly you're talking about, but she thinks she knows what would have caused a change in the echoes. See, whenever someone broadcasts magic to go through the void, that magic will create echoes just like the dimension does, only much much stronger. Plus, she says their magic accidentally ripped a hole into our dimension, making that portal thing, and that would make our dimension much more sensitive to the echoes. So sensitive that anything created by the echoes would change to reflect what was happening near the time in her dimension more accurately."

"Then that cinema sequence I saw…that was what had really happened in the Zelda dimension…"

"Basically. And she didn't mention it, but I'll bet that the echoes still faded out as they traveled through our dimension, so that the farther one was from the portal, the less their game was affected by the echoes."

"Then that's why Jon and I saw the most of the sequence! …we were closest to the portal…"

"Er…sure, yeah… And the echoes apparently briefly interfered with a few other electronic devices, like our cell phones. Zelda's not sure why, since she's not familiar with electronics, but I have a feeling these 'echoes' are kind of like radio waves or something, and they interfered with the signal of the cell phones. Zelda's been telling me a lot about dimensional theory and stuff, it's really interesting."

"And…how come she can talk to you?"

"…she says I'm really "psychically intuitive", whatever that means. She's using her telepathic powers to talk to me. She said it's strange, because she shouldn't be able to talk like this with someone like all the way over in another dimension, but our dimension is unusually receptive to her powers."

"If our dimension is so receptive to magic, how come we don't have any?"

"She doesn't know. She said Rauru is looking into it. Apparently they have some old books written by people who did nothing but research this sort of thing. She said Rauru looked worried…she wonders why."

"Hmm…well ask her this. When I accidentally stumbled into that void…"

Julie related all that had happened to her while she had been in the void, and asked for Zelda's explanation on what it all meant. Jack closed his eyes. There was another period of silence, only much longer.

"…Zelda says that when she and the sages sent Ganondorf through the void, what they did was send a thread of their magic to the evil realm, tie him to one end of it, and thus zip him along into the evil realm. That's what the gold rope was. And when you crashed into him, you broke their medallions- and therefore shattered their magic- interrupting the sealing process and allowing him to escape."

Julie was silent for a long moment.

"…it's all my fault then…I'm the one who got in the way…that's what he meant when he said he owed me a favor…oh god…I'm responsible for letting that lunatic loose on Earth…"

"It's not your fault, Jules. You couldn't have known! …And Zelda says it's her and the sages' fault for not being more careful and busting a hole through into our dimension."

Julie nodded, but she didn't look convinced.

_It does not matter.  
_

Hissed a little voice in her head.

_Nothing to fear from spirit. It is the light that is to be feared. _

_...what?_

_ The light that banishes, the light that burns. It must be extinguished. _

_Um...okay...  
_

_Do not fear evil's king. He will extinguish the light. _

_I think you need to shut up now._

_The light must be-_

_Extinguished, yeah, I heard you the first time. You can shut up now._

_It burns! It burns it must be banished- _

"I said SHUT UP!"

Julie shrieked, this time aloud. Everyone else stared at her. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she looked away, trying to ignore the feel of their eyes on her back.

_Is any of this real...or have I just gone insane?_

0000000000000000000000000

Alex hurried through the empty street, trying to ignore what felt like jackhammers pounding on the inside of her skull. She couldn't take it anymore. All this steel and concrete and rock…ever since she'd seen that funky flash of green light, she'd felt strangely lost…trapped…disoriented. The once perfectly ordinary suburbian buildings and pavement suddenly felt so imposing, so filthy, so constricting…

Suddenly something inside her seemed to scream, and she lost control of her body and stumbled to the ground. She lay panting on the hard pavement, squeezing her eyes shut against that awful gut-wrenching feeling as she tried to regain her bearings. After a moment her eyes opened, and she slowly picked herself up off the ground. Something wet trickled down her throbbing cheek. Absently she brushed it away, wincing as her fingers brushed the tender skin. She caught sight of a crimson stain on her hand when she drew it away. She must have scraped her cheek up pretty bad. Frowning, she returned her attention to the area around her. She froze in confusion. She found herself standing in a traffic circle, with six perfectly identical streets branching off in different directions. She did not know where she was, and she did not know the streets here very well, but she had a feeling that this wasn't supposed to be here. There was no way any two streets could look so alike…and all six of these looked the exact same, right down to the trash littering each street. There were neither street signs nor numbers visible, and the identical buildings did not have signs either.

The entire area seemed to grow darker as she observed these things, as if the sun had gone behind a cloud. Something did not feel right about all this. Alex swallowed nervously, eyeing the surroundings warily. Then she blinked, and shook herself. _What the hell am I doing? There isn't anything wrong here. I must be imagining things…or dreaming. _She pinched herself. _Nope, not dreaming. So it's all in my head. Great. Well…better find out where I am so I can get home. Of course, now I'm completely lost thanks to that stupid panic attack…I ought to see my doctor about that. It can't be a good sign. And that flash of light I saw…psychedelic, maybe, but not normal. …What was that? Hoofbeats?_

Alex turned around, then stopped dead. She found herself staring into the glowing red eyes of a monstrous black horse decked with ornate silver and black armor. With a gulp, Alex slowly backed away from the behemoth, her eyes traveling up from the horse to its rider. If the horse was terrifying, it was nothing compared to its master. The giant of a man who sat upon it glowered down at her with evil orange eyes slit with cat-like pupils. His fiery red hair bellowed behind him, whipped about by a wind which Alex could not feel. He, too, was covered in armor, though it was more silver than black and had some leather pieces as well. A magnificent cape the color of fresh blood hung off his shoulders, its tattered ends also dancing in the non-existent wind.

The man smiled, a sight that sent shivers running down her spine. Then he reached up and, with a hand big enough to engulf Alex's entire head, gripped the flesh directly beneath his jaw. Alex watched in horror as he tore the skin right off his face. Beneath the skin, dripping with blood and torn pieces of flesh, sat not the skull of a man, but of a pig. Two horns grew out from the top of this grotesque, mutilated face, and the creature- for surely it could not be a man- slowly cricked its neck, first to one side, then to the other. It turned the empty pits of its eyes on the trembling girl beneath it, and two red pinpoints of light flared into being in replace of eyes. Then, with an unearthly laugh that chilled her to the bone, the monster reared up on his horse, and charged. Her scream echoed through the empty streets.

00000000000000000000000

Link suddenly awoke from his slumber and bolted upright. Jack looked back at him questioningly.

"…did you hear that?"

Before Jack could answer, the Hylian man jumped to his feet and ran off. Jack looked back at Dr. Rivers, unsure of what to do. Jack wanted to go see where Link was going, but he was afraid to leave the others.

"Follow him. I'll stay with Julie." Dr. Rivers said. Jack nodded and took off after Link.

He caught a flash of green to his left and followed it at a run. When he caught up to Link, he found the Hylian just standing there, staring off into space.

"Do you feel that?" the hero said suddenly.

Jack swallowed. Yes, he felt it. An aura of abstract fear hung over them both, quickening their heartbeats, drying out their throats, and growing stronger with every passing moment. For the past block or two, the entire street had seemed to grow darker, as if all light was being swallowed by the black pavement. The buildings seemed to grow taller, their dark windows gaping like thousands of hungry mouths waiting to devour them whole.

Link stood frozen, staring at something over his shoulder.

"…over there." his hoarse, urgent voice held a distinct warning note. Jack followed the paralyzed gaze of Link's eyes. He was staring at the windows. Jack's brow furrowed. There was a reflection in the windows that he couldn't quite make out. Slowly, carefully, he approached the window, trying to make out the shadowy reflection that he saw there. The twisting in his gut intensified with his every step, until it took all his will simply to place one foot in front of the other. His instincts were screaming at him to turn back, turn and run until he could run no more…but for once, he ignored them. There in the window, he could just barely begin to make out a figure. He squinted. Was that…Ganondorf? Alarmed, he whipped around. There was no one there. Even Link had disappeared. But the windows…Jack gulped. On every single window the shadowy reflection of the dark lord grew clearer, until his image shown so plain that they might have been paintings. He was seated on a horse, and his head was bowed so that his hair fell forward and covered his face. Jack watched in horror as the image slowly raised its head. _Its face had no skin_. The grinning skull which leered at him with luminous eyes could not have been that of a man. Horns grew out of the top of its head, and it cricked its neck, first to one side, then to the other. Than the horse reared and the image charged out of the windows with a mighty laugh.

"Crap!" Jack yelped as he finally put all the pieces together. This was Phantom Ganon!

All of the reflections in the windows suddenly turned back as a strange whirring sound shrieked from behind him. Jack whirled just in time to see the one real Phantom Ganon spring out of a violet vortex in a third floor window. Jack saw electricity gathering around the Phantom's staff and, knowing what was coming, quickly sprung aside and rolled away. He squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the boom of thunder, but he felt nothing.

_Ha! Missed-_

"Aaaaaggggggh!"

Jack opened his eyes. He saw Link standing in front of him protectively, the remnants of green electricity snaking around his shuddering form.

_Oh. He leaped in front of me to shield me from the blow. How like him._

Link shook his head to regain his composure, then glared up at the phantom.

"Release the human possessing the forest medallion!"

The phantom laughed, its voice echoing and hissing strangely through the air.

"Release her? Why should I!"

"I can feel the struggle within you. Her power grows faster than you can suppress it. Soon she'll break free on her own, and your power will be shattered! You know what I speak is true. The medallions behave differently in this world. The elements are far stronger here than in our world, and the medallions draw on their strength!" Link's voice sounded very strange all of a sudden, like a second voice was speaking at the same time as him. The second voice was deeper and it echoed as if its speaker stood in a deep canyon.

Phantom Ganon cocked its head, apparently considering the hero's words. "If that is indeed so, than you know the effect releasing her will have upon the elements? Her power will multiply twice as fast, and the balance will be upset! You know what that will do to this world, and to her?"

"Of course I know! But we have to instruct her on how to resist its power before she becomes a monster, and being exposed to you exacerbates the primitive tendencies of the medallion!"

"Whatever has come over you, little hero? Where is this knowledge coming from? Do you even understand of what you speak?"

Link paused at that. His brow furrowed, he seemed troubled and confused. He soon shook himself, however, and when he replied his voice had returned to normal. "It does not matter. All that matters is that you understand my words."

"I do. But I will not release her. I am bound to follow the orders of my master and lighter half. I have been ordered to bring her to him, and I intend to obey."

"Then I will force her from you."

"Oh? How?"

In answer the Hylian drew his bow, notching an arrow and aiming at the phantom. He whispered something that sounded like "lumos", and the tip of the arrow glowed with a golden light. The phantom saw what was coming and reared on his horse, turning and galloping away from the boy. But Link's trained eye followed him expertly, and he managed to hit the fleeing phantom square in the back. The phantom screamed, his horse dissolving beneath him as the purifying light of the magic arrow spread out and touched it. He fell to the ground and turned, his limbs trembling with rage. But on his chest something green had begun to glow, and as Jack peered closer he could just make out some sort of symbol. It seemed familiar, but Jack couldn't quite place where he had seen it before.

Before he could ponder further, Link ran up to the phantom and plunged his hand through the ghost's chest, eliciting a scream of pain from Phantom Ganon. As Link wrenched his hand backwards, there was a blinding flash of green light, and as Link whipped his hand backwards the forest medallion was clearly visible in his grasp. His grip on it must have been loose, for it slipped from his fingers and shot across the pavement. Jack ran after it, but before he could catch it a brilliant green glow engulfed it and it morphed into the shape of a terrified 18 year old girl. She crashed to the pavement with a sharp cry, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. Jack stood and gaped at her. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder.

A roar of rage behind him induced Jack to return his attention to the phantom. He turned just in time to see the nightmarish phantom ready his staff and charge Link. The Hylian sidestepped the phantom and drew his sword, slamming the flat of the blade against the phantom's head. The phantom fell to the ground and stayed there for a moment, then telltale green electricity cackled around his staff and he twisted around to hurl an energy ball at Link. Link slammed the attack with his sword, but his aim was off, and he sent it spiraling off to the side. The phantom growled, turned, and ran for a nearby window, a purple vortex blossoming in a window directly in front of him. In he leapt, the vortex closing again behind him.

Jack turned his attention away then, looking to the girl which had appeared in place of the forest medallion. She sat curled up in a fetal position, her trembling arms clutching her knees to her chest tightly as she rocked back and forth, her eyes wide and unseeing. Jack knelt next to her.

"Are you alright?"

No response. Jack hesitantly laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. She still did not acknowledge him. He leaned closer.

"Miss?"

She was muttering something under her breath. Jack had to strain his ears to hear it:

"Buildings…so many buildings…only buildings…and rock…and concrete…I'm starving…I'm thirsty…I can't reach it…I can't reach it…earth…need…earth…can't…breathe…can't…see…all dark…no sun…gray…black…no more brown….no more green…no…green…can't…can't take…it…the gray…the black…I need…green…I need…brown….blue…air…water…earth…need…can't…take…anymore…"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Uh..."

"The forest medallion has overwhelmed her voice."

Jack looked over his shoulder to see Link approaching, a strange light glinting in his eyes. His voice had gone weird again.

"Its power grows stronger the longer it draws on the elements of this world, and it overrides the personality of the person it inhabits."

_I have a bad feeling about this, Link. Something's wrong with the medallions. They're drawing power from this world at an impossible rate, and it's having adverse affects on the humans they inhabit. It's only a matter of time before you, too, are affected. _

Jack heard Zelda speaking, even though she was talking to Link.

_Me too? What are you talking about?_

He heard Link's response, too.

_Can't you feel it inside you, Link? Even we sages feel it, and we're separated by the void. The power of the medallions is growing so strong, they shine like beacons through the fabric of space and time. I fear something has gone horribly wrong._

_You mean…I have a medallion inside of me?_

_Of course you do. Already you know of things which you should have no knowledge of. After all, you bring light where there is darkness and banish the evil of night. Who else would the light medallion be attracted to?_

…_the light medallion…Zelda…surely something so pure and good can't have any bad effects on anything?_

…_Link…the powers of every sage can do great harm if they are not moderated, balanced, kept in check. That is why there is need for a seventh sage. But there is no seventh sage there…no balancing force…and without one, I fear, the medallions may grow out of control…_

Link looked down at the girl shuddering on the sidewalk.

…_out of control how?_

_Utterly driven by the wants of their elements. Blind to the needs of the greater good. Receptive only to their own power, their own element. _

"Only rock…only concrete…earth…need…earth…can't…breathe…can't…see…all dark…gray…black…can't…can't take…it…the gray…the black…I need…green…I need…brown….blue…air…water…earth…need…"

_So they will become…_

"Can't…take…anymore…"

…_monsters._

The girl screamed, her eyes burning green. Her flesh rippled about her, vines bursting from under her skin and wrapping around her torso and arms. The ground rumbled beneath them, spidery cracks spreading throughout the pavement.

"Get off the ground, quick!" Link yelled, whipping his hookshot out of his bag. Jack ran to a nearby alley and tried to jump up to the fire escape, but it was too high to reach. Link ran over, grabbed him by the waist, and aimed his hookshot for one of the windowsills. The chain shot out, caught, and retracted, pulling them both rapidly upwards. They grabbed the windowsill and hung there, looking anxiously over their shoulders at the scene below. Link had been right to get them off the ground. A few moments later, a plethora of vines of various sizes burst through the pavement, the majority of them curling around the legs of the teenage girl until she resembled a snake from the waist down. Her upper body was changing, too. Her hair turned green in color, leaves sprouting from the thickening strands. Her veins turned green beneath her skin, and her teeth grew long and thin, pointing at odd angles like a mouthful of thorns. The creature- for it no longer could be called a human- screamed again, then dove through the fissure in the pavement caused by the appearance of the vines and disappeared from view.

Link and Jack continued to hang there for a moment, Jack's face looking like it could win the award for most shocked, confused, and horrified expression of the year, but Link just looking more tired and annoyed then anything else.

"It has begun." He said. Jack gave him a look, and the two began puzzling about how to get down.

A/N: Wow I got this up fast. Of course, I had this part written out awhile ago, I just had to figure out how to get to it. Don't you hate it when you get a great inspiration for a scene, but it's later in the story and you don't know how to lead up to it? Blah… Also, I'm not sure my description of Phantom Ganon is entirely accurate, but I claim artistic license...to kill. Ha ha just kidding.

…and "lumos" means "light" in latin. They use it in the Harry Potter movies, if you listen carefully (third one).


	7. Escalations and Explanations

Chapter 7: Escalations and Explanations

Note: Some parts of this chapter may not make sense or may seem inconsistent if you have not read the revised version of chapter 6.

The lonesome creak of the library door resounded through the dusty room. A cool draft swept through the open door, stirring past the ancient books and rustling their pages. Zelda always felt intimidated by the ancient library, and only her intense love of books could motivate her to forego this groundless fear. But today she entered for a different purpose. Her searching eyes scanned the towering shelves as she passed through the lonely aisles, her footsteps echoing loudly on the stone floor. In the center of the massive library she found him, sitting at a polished wooden table surrounded by open books. The sage of light was currently absorbed in a rather large and dusty old tome, his brow furrowed in apprehension.

"Rauru?"

"…hmm? Oh, Zelda. I was hoping to see you. I have to tell you…"

Zelda sat in the chair beside him, eyeing the half a dozen books sprawled around the table.

"What did you find?"

The old man sighed, slumping down against the table, his eyes weighted with every one of the hundreds of years he had lived.

"What do you know about dimensional evolution?"

Zelda snapped into student mode as she blankly recited, "In the beginning, there were countless thousands upon thousands of dimensions, each different in their own way. Over time, certain of these dimensions proved to be unstable due to the conditions within them, and they ultimately destroyed themselves. The dimensions that remain today are those whose unique combination of variables allow them to be stable, so that they endured through the centuries. If this can be compared to the evolution of beast and plant, we might say that the dimensions have evolved to be what they are today."

Rauru nodded. "And how about Dimensional conductivity?"

"If the dimensions may be classified according to how they react to magic, one might say that there are those who are non-conducive, those that are moderately conducive, and in still disputed theory there is also the classification that some are ultra-conducive. Our world is moderately conducive; magic exists here unhampered but unmagnified by the dimensional air. We will use our world as a basis of comparison as it is what we are used to. There are dimensions that are considered less conducive, as using a set amount of magical energy there will do less work than using the same amount in our world. Also, there are dimensions which are more conducive, in which using a set amount of magical energy there will do more work then using the same amount in our world. One might say the effects of magic is magnified in these dimensions. In terms of general classification, those dimensions which are non-conducive cannot support magic at all, so great is the amount of energy required to do even the smallest work. Other dimensions are moderately conducive, like ours. There are some that claim there must also be dimensions which are ultra conducive, in which magic is magnified to epic proportions, but such claims have not been proven."

A smile graced the old man's features, "you have been taught well."

"Impa was a very demanding tutor."

Rauru nodded.

"But what does all this have to do with anything?" Zelda asked.

"Zelda…have you noticed the way our magic seems to be greatly amplified in this other world?"

Zelda nodded. "Normally Naryru's love protects the caster from harm, but does not act as an actual barrier. When Link cast it earlier, the spell was so strong that the attacking stalfos were thrown back simply by touching it."

Rauru nodded as well. "And a single light arrow was able to destroy the Phantom Ganon's horse. Zelda…I think this dimension may be the first actual example of an Ultra conducive."

"What? But this world doesn't even have magic of its own."

"And that's the reason why it is still here."

"…I'm sorry, but I do not follow you."

"This is why I have been looking into dimensional evolution as well. I think perhaps the reason why no one has ever found a dimension that was ultra conducive was because such dimensions don't have magic of their own."

"That seems a little too convenient, old friend."

"It would seem so to me as well, if I had not found the works of a little known, obscure scholar which was so terribly dry it was nearly impossible to understand, thus the reason for his obscurity. But what he claims makes sense."

Rauru leaned forward intently, his eyes drilling into those of the princess. "Think, Zelda. Wherever magic exists, it exists in all its forms. And some of these forms by nature oppose each other. Light and shadow, water and fire, spirit and forest…so in any world, these opposing forces of magic are constantly battling against each other, some forces more prominently than others. In an ultra conducive dimension, the powers of magic would be amplified to extreme proportions. The clashing powers of magic would grow so great, so powerful…that they would destroy the ultra conducive dimensions."

"Unstable…"

"There isn't a doubt in my mind that this other dimension is ultra conducive, or at least close to it. It explains why the medallions are growing astronomically in power. The medallions were designed to both give and take power into the world in an endless cycle. But in this, this ultra conducive world, the power they give becomes magnified, disrupts the elements of the world, and is reabsorbed by the medallions many times more powerful then it was before. I have been watching them closely, Zelda. And even with my senses dulled by the void and the great distance between us, I can tell their powers are growing dangerously fast. I can tell that Ganondorf is summoning his minions with such little amounts of energy it is laughable. I can tell that, even though Link doesn't realize it himself, the magic he used took a very small amount of energy, even though the spells turned out to be much more powerful than they should have been. Zelda…we have to finish this quickly. This dimension survived evolution because it did not have magic of its own."

"But now that we've brought magic into it…"

"…It is only a matter of time before the escalating forces of magic rip it apart."

00000000000000000

Jack and Link walked back to the group in somber silence. Jack was still trying to make sense of the things he had just seen and heard. That girl…she'd turned into a monster…and all because of the medallion inside her. Was Link going to turn into a monster as well? He hoped not. They would be in big trouble if he did…

"…Link?" the Hylian flinched, as if he'd been startled out of deep thought. Jack was sorry to have disturbed him, but he wanted answers.

"…the people with the medallions…are they…are they all going to go berserk like that?"

Link smiled sadly. "Not exactly. …the forest medallion had a variety of forces influencing it which the others do not have. This place…the very aura of this city is so strongly anti-forest that it is no surprise the forest medallion broke first. Plus, it was exposed to Phantom Ganon, a creature of very unstable, dark magical energy whose very presence no doubt accelerated its change. The others will not change so quickly nor so violently, but yes…the end result shall be the same. They will turn into monsters."

"…even you?"

Link didn't answer.

"Jack! Link! Come quick! Something's wrong with Julie!" Jack's head shot up. Dr. Rivers was running towards them, gesturing madly for them to follow. They took off in a run, racing back towards the alleyway where they had left her. Jack's heart was pounding in his chest. So intent was his panic that he hardly noticed how far ahead of the others he was. He skidded to a stop at the entrance of the alleyway. There Julie crouched, her eyes wide as she stared at something she had cradled in her arm.

"Julie? Julie, what's wrong?" he demanded, kneeling beside her.

"My hand…holy crap my hand…"

She raised her right arm, which she had been cradling with her left, and Jack's eyes widened in horror. The skin had turned dark violet, so dark it was nearly black, and the texture of it appeared leathery. Also her nails had not only turned red, but had grown at least an inch.

"Jack…" she whispered, her voice hoarse and scared, "what's happening to me?"

Link and Dr. Rivers finally arrived at the alleyway. Link took one look at Julie's hand and his mouth set in a grim line, the strange light returning to his eyes.

"It's the shadow medallion."

000000000000000000

"Forgive me, master, for I have failed you…"

"Again."

"…again"

Phantom Ganon kneeled before his master, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor. It was all he could do to keep from trembling as he listened to his master's heavy footsteps pace irritably in front of him, the only sound in the entire room.

"I-it was the boy, master. His powers have grown astronomically! With only one hit from his magic arrow, my horse was utterly destroyed. He even managed to reach into my very being and pull out the-"

"I do not need to hear your excuses." Ganon cut him off shortly, tugging idly at the collar of his cape. He stopped his pacing to glare down at his trembling doppelganger. "I saw everything that took place. And I must say, I am disappointed in you. Why did you come running back to me so soon? You would have had a perfect opportunity to capture Link and his little friend shortly after the human containing the forest medallion turned into a monster. But no, you turned tail and fled at the first sign of danger!"

"But master, I-!"

"Shut up!" he snapped, again yanking at his collar. He'd been doing that a lot since Phantom Ganon had reported back. "You're lucky I even gave you this second chance, and you blew it! Why, if it weren't for the fact that your already being in the void made it so much easier to bring you here, I'd not have brought you at all!"

Phantom Ganon cringed as his master continued raging, resuming pacing once again. The master was particularly irritable today. He had had very bad timing to screw up like this now.

Suddenly Ganondorf stopped, wrenching at his collar yet again. Then with a roar of frustration he undid the clasps holding the cape to his neck and ripped off his shoulder plates. He threw the armor to the floor and stood there panting, his eyes narrowed. Phantom Ganon blinked in surprise, staring up at his master with bewilderment.

"…master?"

Ganondorf did not answer him, but his breathing seemed to be picking up as he continued to stand there.

"…are you alright, master?"

"Of course I'm alright!" Ganondorf snapped. "Now go find that damn forest wench, and don't you dare come back to me until you have her! I don't care what kind of horrible monster she's become, you bring her back here, do you hear me?"

"Y-yes master!" Phantom Ganon squeaked, grateful for the second chance. He wasted no time in fleeing from the room, before his angry master could change his mind.

Ganondorf hardly noticed him go. Now he was fiddling with his heavy gauntlets. Normally he didn't even notice his armor, since he was so used to it, but today it felt unbearably cumbersome and constricting. He couldn't take it anymore, he had to get the stuff off. He ripped the gauntlets from his hands, tore off his breastplate, kicked off his boots and stripped off every piece of armor until he was left with nothing but his pants. _There…that's better…_

The two stalfos guards who had been in the room with him stared uncertainly at their master, confused by his uncharacteristic behavior. They watched him stand there with his eyes closed, surrounded by his discarded armor, his chest heaving with his heavy breathing, and couldn't help but feel worried.

"Master? Is something wrong?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "I'm fine!" he snapped again. "I just…" he glanced at the wall, his eyes strangely fearful. "I need some air." and with that he strode to the door leading to the roof and kicked it open, storming from view. The door fell shut with a heavy clang, and the stalfos warriors exchanged glances.

0000000000000000000000

"Oh come on, Julie, it can't be that bad!"

"We don't have all day, you know."

"Come on out, Ms. Kelsey, we promise we won't laugh…"

With much cajoling, Julie finally emerged from behind the makeshift curtain in the alleyway. Link's Zora tunic was a tad too big for her, the strange mesh fabric draping off her shoulders and hanging down past her knees. In the game, the Zora tunic had been just a recolor of the Kokiri tunic. In real life, it was quite different. The material was black and stretchy, like spandex, and was dotted all over with glistening blue Zora scales. She was also wearing a spare pair of Link's boots, which were at least three sizes too big. Julie looked ruefully down at herself. She wasn't exactly a skinny, delicate girl, but she certainly looked like one in Link's oversized clothing.

"I look ridiculous. I'm practically swimming in this tunic!"

"Hey, it's better than running around in that hospital gown." Jack pointed out.

"Is that what you call that thing?" Link looked down at the puddle of gray fabric on the ground. "Strangest article of clothing I've ever seen. Why wear something so impractical?"

"It's so the doctor can examine your body easier, without you having to take all your clothing off."

Link stared at her. "...what is a doctor and why would he be examining your body?"

Julie planted her hands on her hips. "Oh come on, don't tell me you don't have any doctors in Hyrule!"

Dr. Rivers raised an eyebrow and turned to Link. "Surely your people have some sort of healers? Medicine men? Herbalists?"

"Uh...there are potion makers...they kind of heal people. And the great fairies are known to restore heroes who have been wounded in battle. So a doctor is kind of like that?"

Dr. Rivers made an odd expression. Apparently being compared to a fairy, even a great one, did not sit well with him.

Link turned back to Julie. "Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the tunic. It just need time to get used to you."

"…used…to me…?"

Suddenly there was a funny "schoop" sound, and the tunic suddenly shrunk until it fit her perfectly. Julie blinked in surprise, her mouth falling open slightly. Link smiled at her bewilderment.

"It was originally too big for me too, but it's magical. It adjusts to the size and shape of whoever wears it. Well...as long as the person isn't too much bigger or smaller than its original size."

"Wow. Cool. Too bad the boots didn't change, though…"

Link was silent a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"You know…I could give you the hover boots. They're also magical, and will change to fit you, but the downside is-"

"No traction."

"Right."

Julie looked down speculatively at her legs drowning in Link's giant boots.

"…give me the d-mn hover boots."

Author's note: Argh…yeah, I know I haven't updated in like…forever…well you see, end of school year crunch time plus junior year in high school equals no time left for sleeping or relaxing, much less fanfiction writing. Yeah…I had four huge projects all due in the same week, and juggling four projects at the same time as you know can be quite a stressful hassle. But now they're all done, so I can write again! yay!


	8. Green Revolution

Chapter 8: Green Revolution

_"So dark…"_

A voice once used to practice but now distorted by bodily disfigurements whispered through the dank air in a bestial hiss. The throat which uttered it was twisted, clogged partially by the impractically round, rope-thick tongue. It was a good thing air was no longer required to enter the wind pipe and into the lungs, for then the creature would have long died, choked by her own tongue. The drawing of breath for speech alone was a difficult task, and still the voice which issued sounded strangled.

_"So cold..."  
_

Deep beneath the streets of the city the voice sounded, echoing in the maze of sewers that wormed through the earth. The creature once known as Alex Silva ran a long, gnarled finger down the cool metal wall of the sewer, her emerald eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.

_"So damp..."  
_

Her vision was not what it once was. She no longer saw the world through reflected light. No…what she saw was energy. Every object, whether alive or inanimate, glowed with one of six colors of light. She saw nothing as solid. Everything was transparent, allowing her to see past the boundaries of rock and metal which sprawled above her. Two colors dominated the city above: amber, and purple. Alex loosed a low snarl. So this was why her surroundings terrified her so. Not because the city was gray, but because it was _amber_. Well. Spirit had ruled this land long enough, she thought. Her attention returned to her immediate surroundings, to the vast tunnels which splayed around her in every direction. Emerald-veined lips pulled back into a smile, revealing the skewed yellow teeth within.

_"Perfect."_

Here, away from the sunless gray sky and the great metal and tar prisons which held the earth, she felt some semblance of peace again. Though she could still feel and see the overwhelming abundance of amber above her, the use of her new vision coupled with the sensation of her own power served to pacify her. Now that calm and control had returned, she had the capacity to think again. She would destroy the amber. She would overwhelm it, replacing it with green. Though she lacked the light of the sun, the energy coursing through the medallion was more than enough for her needs. Curling about herself, she closed her eyes and spread her energy out into the vines which sprouted from her. The plants writhed in response as the strands of green light slid through them, and then under her direction, they began to grow. Slimy black tendrils burst from the vines, snaking through the sewers at an impossible speed. More and more they came, covering the walls, cracking the metal, worming into the earth where they began drawing upon the rich nutrients of the soil. These roots continued to develop at an alarming rate, clogging the sewers and cracking the pipes. In the center of this vast network of growth, Alex stirred, uncurling and straightening as she rose toward the roof of the sewers. She bent the earth to her will, forcing the ground above her to splinter and crack open like an eggshell. Upwards she rose from the depths of the earth, out into the poisonous air of the city. Her luminescent eyes glared upwards at the cloud-ridden sky. To any other human, it was nothing but a vast expanse of gray. But she saw it…the vast network of pulsing purple lines which filled the air above. So shadow had a hand here, did it? She felt no hatred for shadow, as she did for spirit, only a twinge of annoyance that her ally light was hidden. Well if the sun would remain denied from her, than she would do without it. Drawing upon the vast well of power which was the forest medallion, she sent another wave of energy through her roots, until they trembled with it. Now…now the green would return to this land…

She raised her arms, and the ground began to shake.

00000000000000

_Careful…careful..._

One foot in front of the other, shift the weight just right so the center of balance is perfect, ooh!- little skid there, nothing to worry about, move the other foot now, careful not to shift the other-

"Agh!"

'Whump!'

"Unnnhhh…."

Julie buried her head in her hands as she groaned.

"I give up. I can't walk in these things, it's impossible."

"Aw, come on Julie, it can't be that bad…here, try again."

The girl looked up from where she sat sprawled in a tangle of long legs and enchanted boots, her expression configured into a pointed: "Yeah, right" look.

"I think the problem is you're trying too hard to walk like normal. You have to _glide,_as if you were on roller skates."

"Link never had to do that in the game." she growled with a glare at the Hylian in question.

"Yes, but video game physics are never quite on par with the real world, " Jack pointed out.

"Oh, and you're an expert on the subject."

Jack just grinned and shrugged, holding out a hand to help her up.

Still looking about ready to kill something (or someone), she grudgingly took his hand and allowed him to help her off the ground. He kept a tight hold of her hand as she steadied herself, not letting go until she looked stable. So of course, the instant he let go, her feet decided to skid off in opposite directions and she landed right back on her bum.

Julie's left eye twitched dangerously.

"I take it you're not an avid roller skater." Jack remarked.

Julie snorted. "I haven't been roller skating since a birthday party in fifth grade."

Jack helped her to her feet again.

"Just keep your knees bent and let yourself glide." He gave her a little push forward.

"Wha- hey!" Julie slid forward, her arms flailing wildly in an attempt to maintain balance. She looked hilariously like a floating windmill.

Link fought back a chuckle as he walked over to Jack. "So...what exactly is this "game" you keep mentioning?"

Julie stopped windmilling her arms and grabbed a nearby lamppost. She, Jack, and Dr. Rivers exchanged glances.

"Oh geez...how do we explain this to someone who doesn't know anything about electronics?"

Jack furrowed his brow and stared hard at the red brick of a nearby school building, as if it would give him an answer.

Dr. Rivers, fortunately, stepped in. "Do you have legends in your world, Link? Stories told around the campfire, perhaps, about heroes on quests to defeat evil villains and slay vicious monsters?"

Link nodded.

"Well, the video game involves a lot of complicated technology that we can't really explain without something to show you..."

Jack's eyes lit up and he began digging around in his pockets.

"...but in essence a video game allows a person to take control of one of the heroes of such a story, to pretend to be that hero."

"So...is it like when the Kokiri boys used to smack each other with sticks, pretending they were having a sword fight?"

"Well...yes and no. A video game involves the manipulation of a...a sort of...illusion, through a controller..."

"Here!" Jack called suddenly. He raised his hand, proudly displaying the gameboy advance sp he'd just whipped from his pocket.

Link's eyes widened. The small black square was definitely not what he had been expecting. "That's a video game?"

Julie tottered over, quickly grasping Jack's arm for balance. "No, that's a video game system. Video games are sold separately. Its producers are evil like that."

Jack walked over to Link and further amazed the Hylian by flipping the gameboy open and switching it on. Link gaped as words materialized on the screen. "Gameboy Nintendo? What does that mean?"

"Gameboy is the name of this particular video game system. Nintendo is the name of the group of people that produce these."

Jack tapped a button and the title screen for Metroid: Fusion appeared. "That's the name of the game," he explained, gesturing to the title.

Link read the screen. "Press start...?" He looked down at the group of buttons and surely enough, there was a small gray button with the word "start" engraved above it.

Jack grinned at him. "Go ahead."

Hesitantly, Link pressed it. The words "press start" flashed multiple times and then the save slot screen appeared. Link oohed.

Dr. Rivers smiled and adjusted his glasses. "There, you see? Manipulation of an illusion through use of a controller."

Jack handed the gameboy over to Link, who took it almost reverently.

Navi buzzed excitedly. "What's that strange helmet? What do the bars mean? Hey, look! There's words here! Samus Data...energy...time...Main Deck...what do those all mean? What's this button do? Where's that music coming from?"

Link peered intently at the buttons, determined to figure this out. To him, it was a puzzle, just like numerous others he had encountered in the temples. All he had to do was solve it. His eyes narrowed. The "start" button had been used to start the game. That made sense. Perhaps this button marked "select" would let him choose between the rows labeled A, B, and C? He pressed it, but nothing happened. Frowning, he tried pressing the start button again. A blue rectangular box appeared at the bottom left of the screen with the words "Start", "Copy Data", and "Erase Data" on it. He pressed the start button yet again. Yet another box appeared, this one larger than the first even though it only had two option: "continue" and "start over". He pressed start a final time and the strange helmet turned towards him, the green part flashing, and the screen changed completely.

Julie pointed at the humanoid figure in the center of the screen. "That's the hero you play as."

"Who is he?" Link asked.

"_What_ is he?" Navi asked.

"It's a female, actually. Her name is Samus, and she's a human. Er...a 'human' is what we call ourselves, by the way. She just looks strange because she's wearing armor."

Link squinted at the screen. "Strangest armor I've ever seen."

"Yes, well it's um...armor of the future."

Link continued his investigation. He found it strange that this supposed hero carried no weapons, and wondered why there was a green tube on one of the figure's arms. He tried pressing the cross-like button, and soon discovered it was actually four buttons in one. He pressed the left side of the cross, and Samus moved to the left. Pressing the right side of the cross made Samus move right, pressing the bottom of it made her crouch, and pressing the top made her point her arms upwards. Next he tried tapping the button labeled "A", and was delighted to see the figure jump. He pressed the "B" button, and three flashes of green light emerged from the tube on her arm and spiraled across the screen. Link's eyes widened. "Oh, she's a mage!"

Julie snorted with laughter, but Link ignored her. He had just noticed the tiny button at the very top with an engraving of a sun on it. He pressed it, and the bluish tint of the screen dissapeared.

"That just turns the backlight on and off. You can leave it off, you don't really need it in this light."

"What do these do?" Navi, who was examining the back of the gameboy, pressed down the L button.

"Ah, it makes her tilt her arms diagonally."

"And this one?" Navi zipped sideways and pressed down the R button.

"...that makes one of the strange symbols at the top of the screen light up. Oh! Her arm is starting to glow...is she charging up a magic spell?"

"Try pressing the B button."

Link did so. Some kind of gray projectile shot out of Samus's arm and hit the side of the screen, a circle of blue crystals whirling around the area it impacted. "Woah!"

Julie laughed. She and Jack both seemed very tickled by the way Link was reacting to the video game. Julie looked up at Jack. "Too bad you didn't have Link to the Past with you. That really would have blown his mind!"

"What- you mean Link to the Past came out for Gameboy advance? No way!"

Julie gave him a where-have-you-been look.

"Why did no one inform me of this? That's my favorite Zelda game."

"Really? Link to the Past?"

"Yeah. I'm old school that way."

"I prefer the N64 titles, myself."

Jack made a face. "Even Majora's Mask?"

"Why does everyone seem to hate that game?"

"Because the temples were all horribly tedious and the three day time limit was annoying as all heck?"

"But...but there was so much fun character interaction and the masks were all so cool and interesting and the music was awesome and Majora itself had such a cool design and wasn't it fun to see all the Ocarina of Time characters in different roles?"

"Breathe, Julie."

"Sorry, once I get going it's hard to stop..."

Dr. Rivers and Link just sort of stared at the pair. Dr. Rivers scratched his head. "I swear they're speaking english, yet I can't understand a word they're saying."

Link laughed. "Good to know I'm not the only one."

"Anyway, we should probably get back to teaching you how to use these things. Remember: it's just like roller skating. Only magic."

"Magic roller skating. Right."

Link turned to Dr. Rivers. "That reminds me: what is roller skating?"

Dr. Rivers sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Well, see, there are these shoes with wheels..."

Julie pushed off of Jack and started sailing away, Jack running after her.

"Bend your knees!" he shouted.

Julie grit her teeth and bent them, wincing inwardly as she began to pick up speed. Picking through the dregs of her memory, she went over everything she remembered from skating in fifth grade. Tentatively she shifted one foot forward, then the other, then the other, then the boots forked just a little too far apart from each other and she panicked, falling against the wall of a nearby building.

"Hey, don't stop now! You were doing fine!"

Jack ran over to her and tried to pry her away from the wall, which she was clinging to like there was no tomorrow.

"Come on, the first step to decent roller skating is to get off the wall."

Julie groaned, but she knew he was right. She had just let go of the wall when the ground began to shake.

00000000000000

Donald Miller sat in the living room, scowling at the newspaper he was reading.

"Those idiots in Washington screwed up again" he growled to no one in particular. "The whole damn world just keeps getting worse every day…"

"Don did ya hear?" his wife, Rosemary, poked her head into the room. "On the news? You know how those skeletons were walking down Main Street earlier? Well now there's _lizards _too, did ya hear Don?"

Don snorted. "It's those damn scientists, interfering with nature when it shouldn't be interfered with and poking their noses into everything…playing god…I told ya, didn't I? I told 'em something bad was going to happen."

"Or aliens. It could be aliens, Don. Couldn't it be aliens?"

"Nah, it's the scientists. All that cloning and genetic engineering and junk…messin' with the fabric of life, that is. Dangerous. And now see what happened? Payin' the reaper, that's what this is."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

"Oh my! Is it an earthquake?"

"Can't be. We never get earthquakes. We're not on a fault line."

Rosemary peeked out the window.

"Ooh, the ground is all cracking up outside. Look Don, see it cracking?"

Don turned to look. He was just in time to see a bunch of long green and brown blurs shooting up from the cracks in the ground.

"What in Sam hill- ?"

The blurs slowed down and turned out to be trees, of all things, shooting up to magnificent heights which dwarfed the houses and even some of the larger office buildings.

"Oh my, Don, will you look at that? There's plants growing everywhere, look! Do you see them, Don?"

Don saw them all right. It was pretty hard to miss the wave of greenery that was sprouting from the earth, bushes and vines and trees of all sorts and sizes, breaking through the streets and sidewalks as if the concrete and tar were nothing more than tissue paper. Some of the vines covered the ground, leaves and flowers unfolding to hide what remained of the ruined roads, while others crawled up buildings and the newly grown trees. The bushes unfurled their branches and transformed from brown to green as leaves sprouted all over them. Finally the rumbling stopped, and the plants seemed contented to grow again at a normal speed. Don shook his head.

"See, what'd I tell you? Growth hormones seepin' into the water supply!"

000000000000000000000

Julie opened her eyes blearily. The first thing that registered in her vision was a color: green. Lots and lots of green. The great blur of emerald began to recede as her vision focused, the unshapely blobs sharpening. Julie was amazed to find herself completely surrounded by plants. Not just surrounded, actually, for there were a couple creeper vines which had decided to use her as a trellis. Stripping the tendrils off herself with a grunt of annoyance, Julie stumbled to her feet and steadied herself against a nearby tree to keep the damn hover boots from sliding out from under her. The trees were all gigantic, large enough to shoot through the roofs of all the nearby buildings (not that the buildings in this part of the city were the tallest around. They were pretty much still in the suburbs).

Julie rubbed her eyes. "Did I miss something? When did we get to the enchanted forest?"

"Julie? Is that you?"

"Jack!"

Jack stumbled out from a tangle of nearby bushes and ran up to her, grinning. His clothing was a little torn and there was a twig or two sticking out of his hair, making him look ridiculous. Julie fought back a laugh as she turned to face him.

"Where are the others?"

"I don't know. I kind of lost them in that giant wave of green a moment ago."

"What happened? All I remember is the ground shaking…"

"Yeah, that blasted elm knocked you out right at the start, didn't it? Least I think it was an elm…never was an expert on tree identification."

"…I was knocked out by an elm?"

"Yes."

Pause.

"How?"

"Well, when you stumbled back from the shaking it sort of sprouted right behind you and clocked you upside the head as it shot upwards. You got off pretty lightly, actually, considering."

He said thoughtfully with a cursory glance around. Julie looked too. The trees certainly hadn't shown any regard for the objects that had been above them when they had sprouted. Several cars could be seen above them, speared through the middle or simply caught by the uppermost branches of the stronger trees. Not to mention all the buildings and houses which had trees poking out of their roofs.

"We should probably start looking for the others."

"Yeah…yeah ok. Let's go."

0000000000000000000000000

"We have to do something. We have to do something, fast." Nabooru muttered as she paced back and forth on her medallion in the chamber of sages.

Zelda watched the spirit sage pace, her eyes sad and detached. She and Rauru had just finished filling the other sages in about dimensional evolution and conductivity, and now a heavy tension hung in the air as all the sages realized the gravity of the situation.

"I will continue searching the library for clues about this new disaster, and how we can reverse the damage." Zelda said softly, and disappeared in a flash of pink light.

The other sages watched her go, their eyes heavy with the weight of the world. All but one. Saria stood motionlessly upon her pedestal, her fairy bobbing worriedly around her. She stood with her back to the inner circle, staring out into the churning walls of liquid light which surrounded the chamber. In her mind's eye she looked down upon the great green ruin which had once been this peaceful alien city. It had been her, her power which had done this. It was her spirit which was materialized into that medallion, and it was the magic of the forest which even now fed the great green parasites that lay sprawled through the city.

Her heart was heavy with guilt as she surveyed the ruined buildings, the broken bodies of innocents who had been inadvertently crushed in the devastation of the earthquake or the rush of greenery which had followed it.

"We must stop it." her soft, hollow voice echoed through the stillness of the chamber, drawing the attention of the sages to the little Kokiri girl.

She turned to face them, and they saw the silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

"We must confine the medallions before they spread further into this world."

"But how?" it was Ruto who spoke, her voice gentled by the sight of the Kokiri's grief.

"A shield. A solid crystallization of our remaining strength. We can make a barrier to encompass the entire city. The medallions will not be able to pass through if we all contribute our power- in such primal forms, their instincts will compel them to obey the law of opposites without thought to the law of strength. We can confine the magic of the medallions- as well as the monsters which have been created by them- before they escape to wreak havoc on their world." Rauru spoke, his voice managing to exude unquestionable authority despite its gentle tones.

"But…but that will sap what is left of our power. We will be defenseless." Nabooru protested.

"What need have we to defend ourselves? Neither Ganon nor his minions of darkness can enter this sacred chamber. We are not the ones who need protection- let us not deny it to those who do."

Nabooru nodded, though her eyes still held doubt. Chanting softly, the sage of light raised his hands. The others each in turn did the same, offering the remainder of their power into his control.

000000000000000000000000000

Within the ruined city, the poor, confused inhabitants gazed on in wonder as a flurry of sparks shot out seemingly from nowhere (though in reality they emerged from a certain portal floating in the center of a dry creek bed, startling a certain cop in the process) and surrounded the city. To them the sky seemed to turn the colors of the rainbow as the sage's barrier formed around the city.

From where he was irritably making his way down from a tree which had caught him during its sudden growth spurt, Link looked up at the sky and smiled. He had seen this magic before. The sages had used it to make a bridge once, allowing him to cross the perilous moat of lava protecting Ganon's castle. It was one of the few magics they could use while the majority of their power was incarnated in the medallions.

_Now at least_, he thought, _this plague will not be able to spread._

000000000000000000000000000

A/N: I'm still not satisfied with this chapter, but I think I've tortured you poor people waiting for an update (if you even remember my story) long enough.

Edit: I've edited this chapter to include a scene demonstrating the video game to Link, as was suggested in a review. Let me know if the transition is too clunky or if something seems out of place.


	9. The Curses Spread

A/N: This is just a really short chapter that I rushed out mainly so I could tell you guys something. Some of you may wonder what I have been doing when I'm not agonizing over my fanfictions in a vain attempt to overcome my writer's block. In answer to that, I have been illustrating and coloring the monsters from this story. I am proud to announce that the first, the forest medallion monster, is done! You can see it at http(colon slash slash)www(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)view(slash)20756402(slash)

Hah, didn't know I was an artist too, did ya?

Also, a warning for the squeamish. Ganondorf might have a lot more grit than some of the people reading, so if the sight of blood or pain makes you sick, you might want to skip any paragraphs or lines marked by a number 13 in parentheses.

Chapter 9: The Curses Spread

From his perch on the roof of the hospital, Ganondorf glared up at the rainbow colored sky with a mixture of irritation and bemusement. It was obvious why the sages had wanted to erect a barrier, but if this was the best they could do, why bother? It was a most pitifully weak display of magic if he'd ever seen one. Still, he'd humor them. On the off chance that it did manage to contain the medallions, having them all in one area would be a big help. It made rounding them up that much easier. Of course, there was still the question of what to _do _with them once he found them. From what his phantom told him, they were quite heavily ensconced within their hosts, and it would take a good deal of energy to remove them…possibly more than he could spare. He was still weak from the final battle against that Hylian brat, Link. It was a surprise that he had been able to conjure as many of his monstrous minions as he had, all things considering. But he hadn't had the time to dwell on it. Nor did he now, for the door behind him had just screeched open.

"Milord?"

_Stalfos_, he thought without even turning to look. Only his skeletal warriors had that strange echoing lisp.

"Yes?"

He was glad the minion could not see his face and therefore missed the wince of pain in his eyes as he spoke. He didn't know why, but a few minutes ago his mouth had become strangely and suddenly sore.

"We have duplicated the crystals sir, as you ordered, and have sent teams out to find the medallions with them."

_But?_

"But one of them doesn't seem to be working, sir."

Not wishing to speak again, Ganondorf simply turned and raised an inquiring eyebrow. The stalfos opened its fleshless jaw to answer the questioning stare, but was shocked into silence when its master suddenly yelped in pain and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"M-milord?"

(13) Ganondorf was too distracted to even think of answering. He staggered back against the ledge, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to ignore the pain which would have had lesser men screaming in agony by now. It felt like knives were tearing out of his gums, prying up his teeth in the process. His tongue tasted iron and he felt warm liquid trickling between his fingers and down his chin. He didn't have to draw his hand away and see the splashes of crimson to know he was bleeding. With a presence of mind few could fathom, he reached back into his mouth and felt his teeth. Something was definitely prying them up- they were loose. The stalfos could only watch with a sense of abstract horror as it watched its master reach into his mouth and tear something out with a sickly squelchy ripping sound. It had never actually been a human, but it knew it could not be normal behavior for one to suddenly yank one's teeth out. Ganondorf stared at the muddy white spots amidst the red puddle in his hand. The stabbing pains had not yet extinguished; in fact they had gotten worse. A fresh wave of raw agony rent through his mouth, but his tortured exclamation was muffled by his hand as he doubled over. The trembling knuckles of his other hand turned white from gripping the short brick wall so tightly. Suddenly the pain spread to his fingers, and he jerked his hand away from his mouth with a startled grunt. Several small round punctures dotted the already blood spattered flesh, and a suspicion blossomed in Ganondorf's mind.

(13)"Minion, your sword! Give me your sword!" He demanded, blood spitting from his mouth and flooding down his chin.

The stalfos obliged without question. Ganondorf held up the sword and examined his reflection, pulling back his ruddy lip to get a good look at the inside of his mouth. His suspicions were instantly confirmed.

He had just sprouted fangs.

(A/N: I always thought the way teeth just magically turn into fangs in vampire movies was terribly unrealistic. This is how I think it really should happen.)

00000000000000000000000

'whap whap whap'

Jack glanced askance, then returned his eyes to the sky. When the barrier had first appeared, it had blotted out the sky entirely. Now clouds were drifting in below the shimmering rainbow dome, obscuring the glistening colors with a motley gray. He wondered if it was going to rain again.

'whap whap whap'

Jack frowned, peeking again at Julie. He knew from what he had overheard of Zelda and Link's mental conversations that she was slowly turning into a monster, yet somehow it just didn't bother him. He felt worried over the prospect of course, but more for her sake than for his own. Suddenly it hit him that he hardly even knew her, and yet already he trusted her implicitly. It had never occurred to him, when running alongside her in pursuit of that scream, that maybe it was all an elaborate hoax. Until now, it hadn't even registered how impossible everything that was happening around him really was. The instant he had seen those monsters on the TV screen, he had just _known_ they were stalfos. He hadn't questioned the fact. He had accepted it and moved on. He was like that, never questioning, never second guessing, hardly ever stopping to _think. _His parents often berated him for being rash and impulsive, for never considering the consequences of his actions. It was true, he didn't plan ahead. He simply saw what needed to be done, and did it.

'whap whap whap'

Now that the excitement had finally lulled, Jack had time to think. For all its improbability, he still didn't question the idea that the legend of Zelda characters had found their way into his world. The thought was too exciting, too enthralling to give up. How many kids his age would kill to be in his shoes right now? To be caught in the middle of an adventure with his favorite fictional characters?

'whap whap whap'

That's all he really wanted, adventure. Excitement. Just like any teenage boy. Although, when he thought about it, not all teenage boys were the same. You couldn't fit people in boxes the way the movies said you could. Take him, for example. He loved running, but he was too introverted to be considered a jock. He also loved video games, but he wasn't any computer nerd either. He didn't know the difference between a kilobyte and a hard drive. He didn't like putting a lot of thought into things, preferring instead to go with his gut instinct. But that didn't mean he _couldn't_ think, he was actually pretty smart. But there is a major difference between understanding quantum physics (if that's possible) and making an informed decision that has nothing to do with brains.

'whap whap whap'

It was actually a question of confidence. It took confidence in one's self in order to judge, to question things. He lacked that. So in the end, he trusted his gut more than his mind. Because he had more confidence in the instincts developed by years of human evolution than in his own mind. Sad perhaps, to some, but true.

'whap whap whap'

Jack looked again at Julie, then stopped walking and set his hands on his hips.

"Alright I give. Why do you keep slapping your hand against your leg like that?"

Julie looked up from her deformed hand, her dull blue eyes wide and startled. She looked sheepishly back at the limb she had been periodically whacking against her thigh.

"I think it's going numb."

No need to question what "it" was.

"Let me see."

He took the purple limb in hand and began poking around, pinching a few pressure points.

"Do you feel that?"

"No."

"How about that?"

"No."

"That?"

"Nothing."

"How about…_this!"_

Julie shrieked with laughter as his hand thrust into her abdomen, tickling her.

"Woah! You didn't tell me you were a flailer." Jack chuckled as he jumped back to avoid her flailing limbs. Julie was the kind of person who jumped and thrashed about wildly whenever tickled or surprised, much to the chagrin of her more mischievous friends.

"You didn't say you were going to tickle me!" she scolded him, but a smile was cracking at her lips.

Jack smiled back, but there was a touch of worry clouding his eyes. Something hadn't felt right when he'd tickled her. His hand had brushed her side, and it had felt…

"Don't think that I'm a pervert or anything, but…"

Delicately he felt along her side. It was hard to tell with the tunic in the way, but there was definitely something wrong with the skin there. It felt… cold, stiff. He remembered with a guilty start that this was the side that had been burned a short while ago, and here he'd gone and tickled her…but why hadn't jumping around hurt her injuries? In fact, she hadn't seemed in pain at all for a while now.

A warm, gentle pressure against his hand broke into his thoughts. Julie's normal hand was on top of his, pressing it gently into her side. He looked up with a start, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were distant, haunted. He understood instantly that he should not jump to conclusions about her actions. She pressed his hand harder into her side, her eyes darting with panic. Finally she looked up at him. When she spoke, her voice was a hoarse whisper.

"I can't feel your hand."

His eyes looked back to her side, then traveled along to her shoulder. Her side and shoulder had been injured…and now her side felt strange. He didn't need to reassure her of his intentions before he peeled down the tunic over her formerly injured shoulder.

His eyes were greeted not by the soft, pink flesh of human skin, but by a mass of distorted purple and black skin as cold and smooth as polished leather. It looked alien, like some nasty extraterrestrial parasite was attached to her shoulder. It was obvious immediately that whatever this weird skin condition was, it was more advanced here than in her arm. Therefore it must have started in her shoulder, where her injury was.

There was something significant about that. He could _feel_ there was something significant about that. But he couldn't fathom what. At any rate, one thing was certain.

"It's spreading."

00000000000000000

_It wouldn't have surprised me if I'd sprouted wings or something. And I was expecting some sort of ability to manipulate light. But this? This is just…weird._

The musical tinkle of Zelda's laughter filled Link's head in response to his mute musing. Link had almost extricated himself from the tree. He'd stopped just a little while ago, when he caught sight of his hand while reaching out for a branch. At present he was sitting against the trunk, one leg dangling off the branch as he continued to examine his hand. The once rough, callous-heavy skin was now cool and smooth as glass all the way up to his elbow. He even experimentally flicked himself, to receive a light echoing 'ting' sound.

_What the heck does glass have to do with light?_

_Don't tell me you've never heard of a prism._

Link blinked.

_A prism…_

Ok, that sort of made sense. But it was still strange. Shaking his head, he put his fingerless gold gauntlet back on and continued scaling down the tree. Tree climbing had always been natural for him. He had discovered this the first day he had scrambled up an oak in attempt to flee Mido and his gang of bullies. It worried him though, the thought of having a glass limb. What if he shattered? How fragile was this new… "skin"? He could just imagine himself raising his sword to parry a blow, only to have his arm crack in half from the force. He suppressed a shudder at the thought. Zelda laughed again.

_Don't worry Link, I'm sure you won't 'crack' under the pressure. It is in the nature of the medallions to augment strength, not weaken it. You're probably even stronger now than you were before._

_Hmm…_

Link paused, hanging from a branch with one arm like a monkey. He plopped down on a lower limb and crouched again, drawing the Kokiri sword from his boot. Now that he was an adult, he used it as a dagger instead of a sword. He steeled himself, then in one fluid movement cut a long line down his glassy arm. Both the steel of the sword and the crystalline skin rang loudly as they scraped against each other, but not so much as a scratch appeared on the transparent flesh. An awed grin broke out of Link's face as he held up his arm.

"Cool."

_I told you._

Link chuckled and tucked the Kokiri sword into his boot.

_I never doubted you._

_Liar._

Link wasn't sure if she could see him, but he stuck his tongue out anyway.

0000000000000000000000

A/N: And that's it. told ya it was short, and rushed. Really just a weird introspective chapter about the characters and how they're reacting to their transformations. But hey, you guys got an update two days in a row, so you shouldn't be complaining!


	10. Coping

A/N: OH MY GOD I UPDATED! This just might be a sign of the apocalypse :o

Seriously, though. I thought I would never be able to continue this. But the other day I was feeling nostalgic, and I played through Ocarina of Time again and you know what? I just...it all came back. The old fangirliness and obsession came right back to me and I started reading all my old fan fictions and getting back into the game. And now? I'm just going to write. I'm not going to worry about the plot, or the direction the story is going, or even where I want it to go. I'm just going to let my characters take over and enjoy the ride. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it too.

And on a sadder note, for some reason they changed the rules so shout-outs are now illegal, so not only will they be absent from this chapter but I'll be going back and editing all my old chapters to take them out. Sorry guys, what can I say? If they delete this story I just might have to keelhaul somebody.

Chapter 10: Coping

Jon opened his eyes blearily. He couldn't remember what had happened exactly, but his head hurt like the dickens and for some reason he was hanging upside down over the car seat. After pulling himself up he sat back and gently massaged his aching forehead, trying to think.

_Let's see...we were driving like mad away from the hospital, trying to get away from those-_

Suddenly his train of thought broke as his eyes snapped into focus on the window. The view outside was not the expected urban streets and buildings, but rather was full of- trees?

_What the hell?_

Jon sat up and pressed his face to the glass.

_Holy- am I dreaming? When did I get in the middle of the first Jurassic Park movie?_

Urgently he climbed over the front seat and began to rouse his unconscious mother.

"Mom? Mom! Wake up, mom!"

With a groan Jon's mother opened her eyes and squinted up at the anxious face of her son. She seemed dazed, and a cut on her forehead was bleeding, but other than that she looked ok.

"Ung- Jon? What's the matter honey? What happened?"

In answer, Jon merely pointed out the windshield. His mother stiffened, her eyes growing wide.

"Wh-what the? We're- !"

"-In a tree."

Indeed, their car had somehow inexplicably gotten stuck in the top branches of a gigantic tree. They hung suspended a good twenty feet or so off the ground, not unlike a famous scene in a certain movie about dinosaurs.

"C'mon, let's get out of here, mom." So saying, Jon opened the door and climbed carefully out onto a nearby branch, his mother unsteadily following. Neither had ever had much experience tree-climbing, but the branches were large and fairly close together, making it easier. They had only traveled a little ways down when Jon paused and looked suspiciously at the car hanging ominously above them.

"Um...maybe we should climb down the _other_ side of the tree...you know, just in case?"

000000000000000

"Are you sure they'll be ok all alone?"

"...They'll be fine, Navi. They know this world better than we do. Besides, Ganon's minions are more likely to come after me- they would be in even more danger if I stayed with them."

"But won't Ganon be after the shadow medallion? Surely it'd be better if you were there to protect them..."

Link stopped walking.

"...Navi...I know I should be protecting the medallions, but the truth is, I...I'm afraid of what will happen when the light and shadow medallions meet again. They are naturally opposed to each other, and their influence is growing inside us...I'm afraid if I see Julie again I might...attack her. I think it'd be better for us to stay away from each other, and I think Julie knows that too." he paused, smiling ruefully up at his partner, "and don't call me Shirley!"

Navi giggled, though her heart still weighed heavy with worry.

"So what medallion are we going to go after first?"

"Hmm...the fire medallion, I think. Fire and forest may not be technically opposed, but it only makes sense for forest to be weak against fire. Hopefully whoever received that medallion hasn't turned into a mindless monster yet."

"Good idea. Was it yours or Zelda's?"

Link scowled at her taunt and swatted at her playfully. Navi dodged easily, tinkling merrily. And so they continued with grim hearts but smiling faces, taking another step in the quest that seemed to be never ending.

000000000000000

"Well at least I won't need a Halloween costume this year."

"Heh. Yeah. What would you call yourself though?"

"Um...a final fantasy villain reject?"

"Final Fantasy? Nah, you look much more like something out of Resident Evil."

"Resident Evil? I don't think I look nearly bloody or zombie enough for Resident Evil."

"Hm...Silent Hill?"

"That's even worse! I'm definitely not messed-up enough to look like something from that game."

"Alright, how about Aliens?"

"Ooh, yeah I like that. The skin is just the right texture. My head is still the wrong shape though."

"Just say you're from the fourth movie, as one of those genetic experiments gone wrong."

"Heeey, that could actually work! I just need a roman numeral tatoo."

"Too bad Halloween isn't for another month or so."

"By then I might look even scarier. Bet I could scare all the children in the entire city!"

"And then we'll steal their candy!"

"Yes! And with the ensuing sugar rush we'll be powerful enough to _take over the world! _Our evil plans are complete! Vuahahaha!"

Jack doubled over in laughter as Julie continued her over-exaggerated evil cackling. It was absurd really, them joking around at a time like this. But they couldn't help it. The situation was too serious _not _to joke about. If they gave in to the wave of depression and angst threatening them, they might go crazy. And not in a good way.

"So how far is it now?"

"About halfway up your cheek."

"Time?"

"10:15"

"Ha! I'm so going to win this bet."

"Hey, I still have five minutes left!"

"Oh, like it's going to reach my eye in a mere five minutes."

Zelda fought to hold back tears as she listened to their banter. They were being so strong, the both of them. Laughing like nothing was wrong. Playing and joking like normal teenagers. Even going so far as to bet on how long it would take the transformation to reach certain parts of Julie's body. How could they be so flippant? Didn't they realize what would ultimately happen to Julie? Or was this merely their way of coping?

Suddenly she stiffened, sensing something dark approaching them.

_Jack!_

"Huh? Zelda?" Jack immediately stopped laughing and stood straight as a rod, listening intently for the princess's voice.

_Something big is coming straight for you- and it reeks of Ganondorf's magic!_

"Dammit- we've got incoming. One of Ganon's goons."

"Curses! Let's get out of here- up that tree, quick!"

Jack and Julie quickly ran to the nearest tree and started climbing.

"Maybe we should have looked for Link after all. Dangit, where is that bloody elf when you need him?" Jack muttered. They had earlier agreed to avoid Link for much the same reasons Link was avoiding them.

"Hylian." Julie corrected automatically.

"Elf, Hylian, what's the difference? They're all magical pointy-eared beings."

"Elf ears are only slightly pointy. A Hylian's could easily poke someone's eyes out."

Jack nearly choked laughing as he scrambled up to the next branch.

_Quiet, it's coming within hearing distance!_

Jack stopped climbing and stood stock still, gesturing for Julie to do the same. They didn't dare move a muscle as they stared below, waiting for the creature to come into view. They heard him before they saw him- a clatter of what could only be hooves, punctuated by vicious snorts.

_Whatever it is, it's on horseback..._ Jack thought.

And then suddenly he appeared from the depths of the forest like the spectre he claimed to be, an unmistakable figure they could recognize despite the mereness of the glimpse they received.

"Phantom Ganon!" Jack hissed.

"He's heading for that big green presence over there."

Jack blinked and looked over at her. "Green presence?"

"I can see...I don't know, this weird _energy _everywhere, and it's all different colors. There is a whole network of green running through all the trees and everything, but there's this really big gathering of it over there, directly in his path."

_She's sensing the elements. She can see the energy of the medallions. The mass of green energy that she sees can only be the forest medallion. That must be the phantom's goal._

Jack's eyes grew sombre.

"Julie...turn your head to the right. No, my right."

She did so. Jack smiled sadly.

"...I guess I win the bet."

000000000000000


	11. Remember Us?

Chapter 11: Remember Us?

Naida opened her eyes to complete darkness. For one horrible moment she panicked, fearing something had happened to her eyesight. Then she remembered the power outage, and heaved a sigh of relief. It was about that time that her groggy mind registered that she was underwater.

She jerked upwards, breaking the surface of the water, and would have taken a great gulping breath of air were it not for the fact that her lungs were already quite full. As it was, water poured from her gaping mouth in a deluge. A horribly uncomfortable experience. She heaved and spluttered, vomiting up great amounts of water- her body reacting more from psychological trauma than any actual physical distress. Even after all the water was gone, it took several moments before she was able to begin breathing air comfortably again.

By the time her breathing evened out and her heart rate returned to normal, she began noticing another strange feeling. Or rather, lack of feeling. Everything felt numb, the way her cheeks might after a trip to the dentist and a shot or two of Novocaine. She ran her hand over the rim of the tub, and could not feel the cool smoothness of the porcelain. She could only vaguely tell that it was there- some lingering sense of pressure against her hand- but no more than that.

Shocked, bewildered, beginning to panic, Naida rubbed her senseless hand back and forth, _willing_ it to feel something, _anything_. Her nerves stubbornly refused to oblige.

Shrieking in panic (and scaring herself half to death with the inhuman noise that emitted from her throat) she bolted from the tub, slipping and banging her knee hard against the side several times. It should have smarted badly, but she still did not feel it Finally she managed to clamber out and collapse on the floor of the bathroom. She crouched there, heaving, trembling, barely able to hear the sound of water gurgling freely down a drain no longer blocked by her body. It should have been unnaturally loud in this silence. With a shaky breath she rose to her feet, grabbing the counter to help herself up.

She groped blindly for the doorknob and pushed the door open. She needed help, she needed to get to the hospital...

The light from outside nearly blinded her, and after a moment of blinking she realized her vision had not escaped unscathed after all. Everything was horribly blurred, she could only make out large blocks of color. Laughter sounded from somewhere to her left. Deep, male laughter, which echoed as if it were in a large cavern. She squinted, trying to make out the source of the noise. All she could see was a blur of black in the vague shape of a man, with two glowing points of red where the eyes should be.

000000000000000000000000000

Link had to admit he had been feeling more comfortable in this world ever since the forest sprouted up. As he darted around trees and through underbrush, he almost felt as if he were home again. Navi had retreated into his hat for the moment, tired from trying to keep up with him. Ever since the "glass", as he called it, had reached his legs, he'd been running much faster. He felt like he could just keep going forever. The "glass" did not get sore, or scratched, or bruised, no matter how tangled the plant life he barreled through. He supposed he should be feeling more worried about turning into a monster, but he just felt so good, it was hard to worry about anything.

Suddenly a ball of light flew into his face. "Link! Are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Link skidded to a stop. "Oh sorry, Navi, did you say something?"

Navi turned an angry red and made an aggravated noise. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes! I'm feeling an evil presence coming from that house back there." She bobbed in the direction of something over his left shoulder.

Link turned to look. The house in question was still relatively intact, despite the two trees protruding from its roof. It was only a few meters away. He tried looking with his _other_ vision. "I don't see any shadow energy. Actually I can't see anything but a mass of blue...the water medallion's energy is washing everything else out."

"The water medallion? We should go check it out, Link!"

Link frowned and turned back around. "But, the fire medallion. We're so close..."

Navi bobbed frantically up and down. "But the water medallion might be in danger!"

"What if the presence you're sensing _is_ the water medallion? The wielder might not be human anymore."

Navi got quiet for a moment. "No, no I've felt this evil before."

Link sighed. "Alright. Let's go."

They made their way to the house, Link frowning the whole way. The truth was, Link had felt the evil presence emanating from the house, but had discarded the feeling as soon as he felt the water medallion. For some reason he found it difficult to care about the water medallion. He was more concerned with the fire medallion. Something inside him was drawn to it, he felt a kinship with fire that he didn't feel for water. Actually he almost felt repelled by water. Fire felt like an ally, but water felt like...an enemy. No, enemy was too strong a word. He just didn't feel right about water.

The front door of the house was locked, but they were able to enter through a hole in the wall created by a tree root. Navi wanted to search the first floor, but Link knew they would find nothing. As Link climbed up the stairs, the evil presence grew stronger. He had felt this before alright. He gritted his teeth and ran faster.

A gurgled scream emanated from a room down the hall. Link charged in that direction and threw open the door. Though he had been partially expecting the scene in front of him, the sight still threw him. The first thing to catch his attention was the strange transparent creature strongly reminiscent of a humanoid female jellyfish that was huddled in a fetal position up against the far wall. Even in her curled position Link could tell that her body was abnormally long and thin, her face and features distorted. She possessed unblinking Zora-like wide black eyes and mere slits for nostrils. There was no visible opening for a mouth, though he could see the jaw bone working behind the translucent flesh. She had no ears, only holes where the ears should be. Her inner organs and nerves were plainly visible through her clear skin, though Link could see no bones or muscles. Standing over her was a figure Link had hoped never to see again. It looked exactly like Link, except that it was all black, from its skin to its clothing, and it was slightly translucent. Link had encountered this shadow creature once before in the Water Temple. It had no name, but Navi had given it the rather uncreative moniker: "Dark Link".

Dark Link turned, revealing the pinpoints of red light that served as its eyes, and the only spots of color on its entire person. Link thought it grinned, but it was hard to tell. Dark Link drew its sword and let out a deep laugh. The way the creature's voice echoed, you'd think they were still in that huge empty room back in the Temple. "Why hello Link! Never thought I'd see you again."

Dark Link had always been surprisingly chipper. Navi thought it was because that personality was the opposite of Link's quiet stoicism. Link wondered if Dark Link had moments of seriousness the same way Link had his goofy moments.

Dark Link paused and tilted his head, apparently scrutinizing his flesh and blood counterpart. "Why Link, you appear to be turning into some sort of decoration."

Inwardly, Link wondered how far the "glass" had spread. Outwardly he scowled and drew his sword. "Get away from her."

"Sorry, I have my orders. I must bring her back to my master."

"Well aren't you a good little puppet."

Dark Link snickered. "Look who's talking."

Link growled and charged. Dark Link jumped over the thrust and landed on the flat of Link's blade. Link's eyes widened._ Sh-t, I forgot it could do that!_

Dark Link took the opportunity to kick Link in the face before back flipping away, the room ringing with its laughter. Link stumbled back clutching his nose. He was beginning to remember why he hated this guy. Frowning in concentration, he tried to remember how he had won the last battle. Zelda's voice spoke up in his mind.

_Jack says it's easier if you don't use Z targeting. Whatever that means._

Link blinked and ducked to avoid a swipe. _Z targeting? The heck?_

_I don't know either. It has something to do with Navi. Oh! Julie says to use horizontal slashes or the megaton hammer, if you still have it. And avoid thrusting at all costs._

Link rolled his eyes and parried another of Dark Link's attacks._ Yeah, I figured that last one out on my own. Wait, how do they know anything about fighting Dark Link?_

_The game, remember?_

_Oh. Right. _Link sidestepped and managed to nick Dark Link's side with a counter swipe._ Well I don't know how well this "game" of theirs compares to real life...but, the megaton hammer sounds like a good idea._

Link jumped back and sheathed his sword, gaining him an odd look from his adversary. Link whipped the megaton hammer out from his magic pouch.

Dark Link's eyes seemed to widen."Uh...this does not seem fair."

"Since when have any of us cared about playing fair?"

"...d-mmit."

Link let out a yell and swung the hammer with all his might. Dark Link dodged backwards, but the magic shock waves produced by the hammer striking the floor hit it anyway. It screamed loudly as it flew backwards and fell through the floor. Link readied the hammer and strained his senses for any sign of Dark Link's return. That's when he realized the girl was gone.

"Sh-t! Navi, the water medallion holder! Where'd she go?"

Navi quivered and made a sad chiming noise, her wings wilting. "I'm sorry, I didn't see her leave. I must have been too distracted by your battle."

Link waited a moment more for Dark Link to jump out at him, then ran out of the room. The whole area was still overrun with blue energy, so the girl could not have gone far. Problem was he wouldn't be able to tell what direction she went.

"Navi, go outside and circle the house. See if you can spot her. I'm going to do a quick search inside."

"Okay!" Navi bobbed once and flew out a nearby window.

Link ran down the hall, periodically busting open a door and peeking inside before running on to the next. He found nothing on the second floor but empty rooms and lots of plants. He had just gotten down to the first floor when Navi came back.

"I didn't find her, but I did spot Dark Link!"

"Lead the way."

0000000000000000000000

"That battle used to be so tough for me. I'd need every bottle full with blue potions and fairies and I had to use Din's fire constantly just to hit the b-stard."

"How about now?"

"I can beat it in like, a minute. It's pathetically easy. Don't need a single healing item. I was actually disappointed the last time I played. I didn't even use the hammer!"

"Heh. So, how long do you think it will take him to find us this time?"

"It's not a matter of him finding us. I stick out like a horribly mutated thumb. No, it's just a matter of how long it takes him to get to us."

"Ah, right. Well, any guesses?"

"Eh..." Julie straightened and looked around. "About a minute or more, I think."

"Hey no fair, you can see him can't you? With your magic-o-vision?"

Julie grinned. It looked a little odd now that half her face was messed up. Jack was reminded of Two Face, the Batman villain. "Hey, it's not like we're betting or anything."

"That's just because we realized we don't have anything to bet."

Julie shrugged and returned to staring into the distance. Jack wondered if she was watching Bongo Bongo's approach.

"Funny how he looks like a pool of purple static now. I swear I remember him as a pool of blood when he broke out in Kakariko."

00000000000000000000000000

"Wow. That is a huge bridge."

"For a huge river. Is everything in this world so gigantic?"

Link just shook his head. The pair stood on the bank of what a sign proclaimed as "Doyle River", a short distance from what the same sign called the "Silverstein Suspension Bridge". It was unlike anything they had ever seen before. A huge roadway spanned the bridge, and they could see more of those strange machines- cars, was that what the lady had called them? -from earlier moving across it. But, they weren't here to admire the view. They only allowed a moment of awe before returning to their search.

Navi straightened and cried out, "Hey! There he is!"

Link turned. Dark Link stood on the bank a short ways away, facing them with its arms crossed. It didn't look like it was going to attack, but Link drew his sword anyway. It seemed to smile at them as they approached. "You know, it's funny. I told you I was to bring the girl to my master, yet you never questioned who my master was."

Link furrowed his brow. "Who else would it be, besides Ganondorf?"

Dark Link laughed and looked out over the river. Link followed his gaze. Navi stiffened. "Link, that water...it feels just like..."

Link paled. "The girl...where is she?"

Dark Link pointed to a large boulder a ways down the bank, where Link could just barely make out the form of the girl. Link took off running, but he knew he wouldn't make it. The water near her was already churning.

"Run! Go! Get away from the river!" Link bellowed. The girl raised her head, but by then it was too late. An aqueous tentacle burst up from the water and wrapped around her, dragging her down into the depths of the river. Link arrived just as the last ripples faded from the surface. Link swore and fell to his knees, punching the ground. That curious indifference he'd felt earlier had faded now, and he felt a familiar ache in his chest. He had felt it when the Great Deku Tree died, he had felt it when he returned with the spiritual stones only to have his worst nightmare come true, he had felt it when he first awakened after seven years to find Hyrule a wasteland, and he had felt it when Zelda had been snatched away by Ganon's evil power. It was the ache he felt whenever he failed to save someone.

"Link...the river..."

Link looked up. The whole river was churning now, and the most violent currents were concentrated directly underneath the bridge.

"It would appear my master wishes to give you a proper greeting."

He hadn't even heard Dark Link approach, but he did not pay it any mind. His eyes were fixed on the bridge. "Please no..."

"And it looks like everyone was trying to get out of town this way, too. What horrible timing."

Link charged in the direction of the bridge, as if there was actually anything he could do by this point. He had not gotten far when from under the bridge rose not one, not two or three, but a huge mass of tentacles, each one easily ten times larger in circumference than the ones he had fought before. Like a rearing dragon it unfurled upwards, tearing straight through metal and concrete and breaking the whole bridge in two. A cacophony of screeches and honks rose from the broken road as cars swerved and crashed into one another, some falling over into the river, some being crushed by the flailing tentacles. Link could only watch the destruction with his mouth agape, some small hysterical part of his mind wondering where he could get a hookshot big enough to reel in the nucleus that was now larger than any of the poor cars being destroyed.

Author's Note: I put this on the bottom now because I know some people...some people arrrrrre impaaaaaaatientttt. So. I finally updated. o.o wow. Never thought that would happen. I've... kind of fallen out of fanfiction writing. Like many tragic souls before me, I have become more interested in my original creations than in fanfiction, and I think this story is obvious evidence of that. Geez did I focus a lot on my OCs, not to mention these magic concepts that have no real basis in any of the games. But, there is at least one person who still remembers this old story and wants to see it updated, so I'm going to try and crank out at least a few more chapters. There are a couple ideas I had for this story that never made it out of my brain, and I want to purge them from my head before I give up completely. The whole Gigundo-Morpha destroying a suspension bridge thing is one of said ideas. I've had that scene in mind almost since the beginning, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pull it off. I even had theme music for that scene. If you have the Van Helsing soundtrack, listen to the very last bit of "Attacking Brides" (I think it's track three...?) and imagine Morpha rising up with the melodramatic operatic chords. Hee. Um...yeah. Anyways.

Review! The super-intelligent midget anchovies command you!

...and Bob. Bob also commands you to review. You'll listen to Bob, won't you?


End file.
